


The Time Traveler's Guide to Zootopia

by Kmpona



Category: Avatar (2009), Call of Duty (Video Games), Destiny (Video Games), Disney - All Media Types, Fanfiction Nation (Podcast), Furry (Fandom), Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Afterlife, Bears, Earth, End of the World, Fanart, Fanfiction, Foxes, Furry, Human, Inspired by Zootopia (2016), Multi, Other, Outer Space, Post-Zootopia (2016), Rabbits, Soldiers, Time Travel, Utopia, War, Wolves, Zootopia (City)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 242,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kmpona/pseuds/Kmpona
Summary: Cheribim is the last human survivor from a doomed future civilization.  Alone and without a home, he stumbles upon Zootopia: A world unlike any he's ever seen and filled with talking animals.  As he tries to adapt to a new world that he doesn't belong in, only time will tell what happens next...Art and additional character credits to:KmponaMikeJensenSamandairaPakrokokDayellowparrotZNN.comBerserker88DrummerMax64DisneyMdw_jasonMr-PunctualKeeiranPanzerVor621TalcatmaTheNerdyKid2552
Relationships: Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. End of the Line

*******

My name is Cheribim.

Former soldier for the Grand Army of the Intergalactic Stratocracy.

I'm a survivor who comes from a Universe that would inevitably cease to exist. I was from Earth-77, not much different from other Earths from alternate universes. We were people - we were human beings - trying to survive like most civilizations who had come and gone before us. However, unlike other civilizations, we were one of the oldest and most advanced ones out there. 

In other words, an interstellar civilization. 

We had survived many mass extinction events and dare I say, cheated death on multiple occasions. We were surprised that our luck hadn't run out but as all things do, it eventually did.

Time travel was one of the most formidable technologies we've ever studied. While our planet was plagued with civil war for hundreds of years, we passed the time in temporary bunkers and generations of scientists before us developed the tools we were currently using. It started as a mere curiosity to understand our past mistakes and avoid them again; however, we decided to go a different route. Most of our prominent scientists would use the technology to go back in time to learn about the former events but instead, we went in the opposite direction: To explore the mysterious and dark future: The what could be, should be, might be, and will be.

Despite the sophistication and brilliance of the technology, our process was quite simple. We'd send a group of scientists, engineers, surveyors, and soldiers into the unknown future, we'd bring them back, and they'd share with us all the things that they saw. With that knowledge, we could avoid cataclysmic events, interstellar war, or any other disaster before they occurred in our timeline.

Based on our calculations, there was another advanced civilization like us with similar ambitions and they're the ones we've followed during this whole time travel experiment. From their perspective, all they saw were a group of scientists coming from the past to learn about their future. While this probably seemed strange to them, they nevertheless were quite cooperative with our time travelers and were useful in sharing knowledge and warning us of things that occur or could occur in their timeline. In a way, they were like our older brother; related in blood, ambition, and desire even though they were always a couple of years ahead of us.

Keep in mind that while this civilization was much like us, they were not us. Meaning, they were still considered a different population of advanced humans from another time and another universal dimension. We tried to follow our own civilization 10 years into the future but it was undetectable for reasons unknown. Instead, we searched for any human civilization 10 years into the future and followed in their footsteps.

Thus, that's essentially what we did for the past couple hundred years. We'd repeatedly time travel 10 years into the future on each attempt, learn from the other civilization, bring our time travelers back, and we'd use that knowledge towards the well being and the greater good of our species. Because of this, we were able to become the most developed, educated, prepared, and adaptable civilization in the entire universe. With consistent success, we continued this pattern to stay ahead of the curve.

Suddenly though, something terrible happened...

It was just a standard day at the research facility. We sent our time travelers into the machine and were about to bring them back to our timeline. All we had to do was wait for their timestamp, pull the switch and they'd be back in an instant. That's how it's always been and that's what we were expecting.

The switch was pulled, a light appeared in the teleporter mainframe, and we were expecting figures to appear after the light dissipated. Nothing. No one was there.

Our scientists quickly became panicked as this never happened before during the hundreds of years this experiment has been going. The plugs were good, the quantum computer was well maintained, and nothing seemed to be out of place. No, it wasn't Windows 10 or anything like that. Everything was good, nothing was out of place except for our missing time travelers.

For many days, we contemplated on what happened to them. Did they miss their time stamp? Did we send them to the wrong universe? Did they get captured? Did they abandon us? No, we checked everything but nothing seemed to add up to a definite answer. With our normally successful experiments and hypotheses now failing, it was time to change gears and do what's necessary: Send a search party.

And that, we did. We took every necessary caution to ensure we'd be successful. We reassembled the machine, duplicated the design by making a second one, made numerous modifications, and prepared a rescue team of our best soldiers. They were fitted with full-body black nano-particle suits with high-intensity phaser rifles just in case. They stepped into the teleport frame and away they went. We sent them 10 years into the future and placed them close to where we last spotted our lost scientists.

The timestamp was approaching so we pulled the switches on both machines, one being the original machine and the other being the modified machine. A flash of light appeared and finally, something appeared.

It was just another flash of light so we waited for that to dissipate when suddenly, nothing appeared. Just like last time.

No one was in the frame. They were gone. Our soldiers didn't come back either. Trying to remain calm, we had to reexamine our calculations and see what was happening. It had to be something. Anything. Anything could be going wrong but what was it?

As days passed, fear and panic began to spread in the lab and we were running out of possibilities on what happened to our travelers and the rescue team we sent. It got to a point where many of our brave scientists volunteered to step into that cursed teleport frame to see if they could manage to return home safely. It's too risky. Why would they do that? Despite my efforts to encourage them not to go, they heeded me not.

We changed the settings and told ourselves that if we did the same thing over and over then we'd get the same results. Thus, it was finally decided that we'd send the volunteers in group A only 5 years into the future unlike before when it was 10 years. We pulled the switch, waited for a bit, a flash of light appeared but nothing was in the mainframe. Group A was no more. This time, we decided to make it 2.5 years for group B, then 1.25 years for group C, but all the same. Nothing!

Group A, B, and C all went dark. No life signs detected.

What was going on? Why aren't they returning? This time, we changed it to 6 months for group D. Finally, we did 1 month, sending new volunteers each time, but it was all too familiar. Not unlike all our previous attempts. No one was coming back.

So this was it then. After all this time we've sent people into the future we finally realized that it couldn't be done anymore. Why? Why can't we travel into the future anymore?

It's because we _were the future_. We were doomed. There was no future to jump to. We were at the end of the line. Our universe was coming to an end. Our older brother, whom we've looked up to for so long, was dead. Those time travelers we sent through the machine? They weren't dead; rather, they ceased to exist. We sent them to a time, a place, and a universe that doesn't exist anymore so they too can't exist.

Thus, the civilization that was 10 years before us was the civilization that we became. As for the other civilization, whom we were learning so much from, they didn't exist anymore. They expired. They were gone. They were no more. And now, we were next. It's almost as if we had become so advanced that the universe itself decided it was time for us to end everything here.

Days and sleepless nights later, we noticed unnatural things occurring all around the cosmos. To name a few, we detected multiple signals regarding supermassive black holes growing at an exponential rate, chaos energy forming, Jupiter-sized solar flares, magnetars, and there was no telling how much longer we would last. The universe around us was becoming increasingly unstable and the habitable zone was diminishing in size. Therefore, it was time to do what was necessary: Abandon our Universe. Find a home elsewhere.

Due to the highly inflated inter-galactic market, obtaining decent survival supplies was both onerous and difficult, even with a reasonable income, but we had no other choice. We needed protection from what was coming because the very air we breathed was about to become forever vaporized into space.

We sold our valuables, our homes, our investments, combined our funds, and the eight of us obtained pico-particle military-grade suits that had a dark vantablack color due to the high-density compact pico-particles that each contained. Each suit gave us super strength, durability, airtight seal, anti-phasing tech, surface reforming/augmentation, and many other capabilities that could ensure our survival against the harsh elements of space. As impressive as they were, these suits were absolutely terrifying on the battlefield and anyone who was unfortunate enough to come across one would certainly wish for death.

Nevertheless, we never had intentions of causing harm so we'd keep the armor engaged but the weapons were almost always kept away. In addition, we gathered tools, extra particles, food, essential files, and any other resource that we could carry on our person. It felt like being a refugee or an outcast, albeit, one coming from an advanced civilization.

We relayed an emergency broadcast out to all the citizens that it was time to evacuate to safety. While most decided to warp across the universe to safety, some decided to stay and die in their homes. There were only 77,000 of us so we didn't have to worry about a population numbered in the billions like in previous times. While we had plenty of teleport frames for everyone to use for evacuation, no one would dare set foot in them after hearing what had recently happened to our time travelers. They simply lost faith in the option but it was the only option that could possibly save them. Warping across the Universe would not save them as our very own universe was about to collapse into nothing but a singularity. Unfortunately, they didn't listen and some decided to stick with

warp drives instead; others went about forbidden and unnatural ways. We tried to convince them otherwise but it was of no use. At that point, we were on our own. Our leaders, civilians, and remaining military all decided to go their own ways and took matters into their own hands.

Wars and rumors of wars broke out, precious resources were fought over, incompetent leaders were cast out, the weather patterns became increasingly unpredictable, and the Earth was filled with much trial and tribulation. Blame for our inevitable destruction spread like a virus, false claims jumped from tongue to tongue, people became increasingly prideful as the days passed, and wickedness was growing like an invasive weed.

In just three days, our population had dwindled down to only 6,676 remaining souls. I and a few other scientists were among them. The rest were either outcasts or savage rebels following a cult leader who called himself the Prophet of Perdition. Very little was known about him except that he was ruthless, brilliant, experienced, and would stop at nothing to destroy his enemies. Some say he was once a good man, making the universe a better place until he tried to play god by using advanced forbidden technology which made him lose his eternal status and fall into eternal torment. Aside from that, no other intel was available.

The angry rebels stormed our outpost, killed the guards, and attempted to take our lives. Our pico-particle suits protected us from their heavy attacks but they too had pico-particle suits and they were more experienced in using them. They found our weakness and quickly disabled our armor for it was on the same network as the military.

Our leader was brave and faced the rebels the best she could, even scattering a large group of them, but was quickly disintegrated by a repeating phaser rifle before the rest of us were immediately detained and placed on false trials.

After hours of being angrily beaten, scarred, and whipped, we were only spared because, after the death of our well-renowned leader behind time travel, the remaining population simply viewed us as incapable puppets following blind orders. Time was running out and we weren't worth it. They took our pico-particle suits and left us in the ruins.

Two weeks later, moments before the dimensional collapse.

We finally regrouped at the lab and came together to formulate a new plan. With most of Earth's finest resources already taken, destroyed, and displaced, we were running low on options and time. There was an abandoned military outpost on our closest moon that had a large surplus of storage units that we thought could be useful. When we arrived there, most of them were either empty or locked but we did strike a slight hint of luck.

We found retired military suits that were similar to the ones we had before; they were assembled a few generations before our time and were the prototype versions of the black suits currently issued by the Grand Army. Instead of pico-particle suits, they were nano-particle suits and were precursors to the ones we had stolen from us. They were white in color due to not being as dense with particles but their capabilities were similar, albeit not as advanced. They could still change shape, form weapons, deploy tools, and permit travel in hazardous conditions so we took them back to the lab and tried to repair them the best we could. Due to their ghostly white color, they were, quite frankly, less intimidating in terms of appearance and resembled who we were more than the previous suits did.

Notwithstanding the great calamities throughout our planet, we finally managed to rewire the machine contrary to its original purpose. Going to the future was no option. We instead aimed to go into the past and we figured that it'd be safer to change up the dimension as well because our dimension would soon be no more. We all gathered around the machine, about 7 of us in white armored suits, the clock was ticking, and the walls surrounding the lab were starting to collapse as if they were about to implode. Outside the cracking window of the station, we could see the darkness growing bigger and bigger while at the same time the light around the teleporter mainframe grew brighter and intenser with each pass of a heartbeat. As the fiendish darkness converged around us, the machine quickly began to struggle and grow dimmer but miraculously hummed with a final breathe of power for what would be the last time forever.

Ahead of our very own eyes, we could see the entire horizon disappearing, furiously boiling away, and before the dark force could get to us, we instantaneously vanished. They say the universe started with The Big Bang only this time it was going to end with The Big Crunch. This is how it all ends.

All this darkness, all this misery, and all this emotional suffering happened in seconds and when we thought we were goners, everything went pitch black. After what felt like years, I opened my eyes and it was still nothing but hopeless darkness before me. I put my hands to my face but couldn't see them, not even their outline. Was I still alive? I dreadfully asked myself.

It was so quiet. Too quiet for any creature to bear. For the space of many hours, the sound of my heartbeat could be easily heard and the blood coursing through my veins made my soul vibrate in tremendous fear. I couldn't feel anything, see anything, or grab onto anything and all I could do was merely hear myself in this dark hellish void.

Hours later, when feeling like I was doomed to be stuck in perpetual gloom forever, a small light appeared as if I were finally awake for the first time.


	2. Falling

It felt like many more hours had passed before which the distant light grew increasingly brighter. It appeared to be some kind of star but there were many other possibilities as well. As my restless eyes adjusted, I could finally see I was surrounded by many other specs of white light, without number, and it was soon clear that I was freely and helplessly floating in outer space. I carefully

looked around my environment and noticed how beautiful and yet terrifying it all was. The only sound was my breath in the suit and everything else seemed to stand so deathly still. No one was here and it appeared I was indeed alone.

I made it. Miraculously, I managed to cross over dimensions and wind up in another unknown universe. But the others? Not wanting to believe it, my HUD made it amply clear that no other life signs were detected. Nothing. I was alone. Back in my world, I always felt alone. Never got married, never found a long-term friend to trust, and never go to say goodbye to the family; yet, this time, it was for real.

Sometimes the worst place you can be is in your own head. There was no other place to go. I felt trapped and completely demoralized for what had happened. We lost everything and we failed to save our future. We went too far and lost gratitude for where we were. We could've just stayed put and we would've been just fine but we didn't. We shot for the stars and burned right up. We aimed high, lost the arrow, and never saw it land. We cut the string of the kite and the kite was never to be seen again. We were a colossal failure. A civilization so advanced and yet so primitive, filled with well-to-do, gifted, and inspiring leaders who were some of the most elect in the universe only to be deceived at the very end.

With nothing else to do or think about, my thoughts ran their course, and all I did was sit in pure idleness. Actually, it would've been nice to sit down in something comfortable, like a chair, but in reality, I was just floating there aimlessly. For a while, fear and doubt were in complete control of my body; Unexpectedly, I had a sudden spark of impression.

Thinking back to my younger years when my grandfather had passed, we were in a virtual cemetery and I remembered walking past an inscribed quote that read: _"All good things must come to an end... ...so that better things can come."_ This put me in deep thought and I realized that if I were to die here, then I might as well die with faith in my heart. I need to believe. Why? Because it's the only way forward.

It would've been nice to be near a celestial body for better lighting but I was still grateful nonetheless to be alive and mostly preserved. However, I was saddened to realize that my fellow colleagues weren't here to confirm that they too were still alive. I never really knew them well for I didn't converse much with them outside of work; but, they were all I had towards the ending. They were truly inspiring individuals in every way and always motivated me to take big steps in life towards excellence, even if those steps were so large it required me to do the splits and become mentally broken from it.

With some of them being artificially grown and preprogrammed humans, they never let their emotions get the best of them and almost had no fear of failure. Perhaps they can be likened unto a group of Spocks but without the pointed ears and a bit more pride in their hearts. I may have been one of the last naturally born humans in my world but still had my fair share of cybernetic enhancement to heighten my abilities. Even so, I was nothing compared to them; my emotions still got in the way of many important critical decisions during times of interplanetary warfare periods and biomechanical terrorism. I ended up being just an assistant, an extra if you will. I tried my best, reinforced their ideas, advocated for them in grand council meetings, and did what I could to help out while not getting in the way. I wanted to think that they were still out there, in spite of my nano-suit affirming their nonexistence because the thought of being the last one was beyond terrifying. However, I might have to accept it.

In my head, I buried and honored them for the immense contributions they made towards our civilization. Because of them, we lasted longer than we should've. Because of them, we had second and third chances. They bought us time and we wasted it.

For now, I'm all alone in space floating like a rag-doll until I can figure out what happens next.

My suit held up pretty well and I had no difficulty breathing. I checked my suit's logs and realized that most of my equipment made it out intact as well. My food, my files, my equipment, and everything else. However, my suit did seem overheated from using the teleporter and was temporarily powering down to a safety mode until everything was restored to a stable state. I felt some amount of hunger grow inside of me but since I was in space I would have to inject the food nanoparticles into my system by using the suit itself. It wasn't too pleasing, to be honest, because chewing physical food with your jaw felt more satisfying than simply injecting it into your system. Nevertheless, physical food would have to wait until I could find a habitable zone to enjoy it. Remove my helmet and I would definitely perish. I remember my mother from the simulations always telling me to wear one before riding a bicycle. _Why did I just suddenly think that?_ I thought. Outer space isolation is making me go crazy.

For now, I just need to sit back in zero gravity and relax until my suit finishes rebooting itself. I'd listen to some music from the 90s, which is weird to think that it was hundreds of years ago, but I must wait because music won't activate until the suit is finished doing its business. Losing my patience, I went ahead and decided to play it but got an error message on my HUD. I selected the option to "resolve" the issue but the file became "corrupted". Flip! I muttered. Even in the future, nothing works.

Seven days later.

I open my eyes and I'm still in what looks like the same spot. However, there appears to be a beautiful gas giant next to me that's dark orange in color. Honestly, It looked spooky but it was the only inanimate company I had. It was nice to have because before it felt like being trapped miles down in the pitch-black depths of the pacific ocean and the gas giant earned the nickname Nemo from me. I lifted my forearm to check my suit's status and it was functioning as it should in terms of very basic life support but not so much for even simple entertainment. My HUD link was clear and my vital signs appeared to be optimal except for elevated stress patterns being detected throughout my entire body. The rising levels within the readings were barely noticeable until an exponential curve was fast approaching.

These levels changed further when I realized that my food storage would only last 1.2 days longer. Yesterday, it said 3.3 days. It was supposed to last 1 month but many of the food files became corrupted which is an unfortunate but commonly normal thing to occur when you jump dimensions and universes, as was predicted in the former lab and reported by our time travelers at the time. If that doesn't make sense, then that's okay because it took me a while to figure out how basic nanotechnology works. Long story short, not all nano-particles are created equal. Many have different purposes such as tissue healing, bone strengthening, armor reinforcement, or even nourishment particulates to create/generate food. In my case, the particles for food were rapidly starting to dwindle: not only by consumption but also by corruption. In a way, nano food particle corruption can be likened to regular food becoming spoiled. Particles can often swap roles in emergencies but sacrifices will have to be made. Unfortunately, I may soon be choosing whether to breathe or to eat because there are not enough particles to do both for much longer.

Three days later.

Just another day in space: calm, dead, quiet, peaceful, and yet eerie. Hours passed and hours later my hands were beginning to vibrate, my central processing unit (brain) was slowly starting to throb, and my anxiety started to kick in. "Hello?!" I called out starting to think that maybe someone was around to hear me but to no avail. "Wilson? Alfred?" No one was there.

My eyes started to get teary and I felt that this was the end for me. I desperately looked around everywhere to see if there was a solid planet I could go to so that I could rest in peace. Mars, Pluto, Mercury, Titan, whatever! I wanted to go to a planet, stand on a solid surface for once and pass out once and for all. Perhaps I had enough nanoparticles to propel myself to a celestial body. Impossible! Clearly I'm not concentrating enough and being days without food would cause me to not think straight. This is it. Even if I could travel light speed, I would be dead by the time I reached the destination and there may not be enough nanoparticles to carry on such a task.

Thirty-seven hours later

Memories were flowing through my mind like milk and honey. I remember the life I once had, living on Earth, having a family of my own, dying, waking up in the simulation chamber only to realize that the life on Earth I had was false. I wasn't born in the 1990s like I thought I was. In fact, I was born much later than that. Hundreds of years into the future. They put me into those simulation chambers to have me think that I was living a normal life. You ever wondered if the life you're living is a lie? How do you know your life is nothing more than a simulation? After all, one doesn't know until after waking up.

One minute, I was a 112-year-old frail man lying on his death bed in the hospital. My family, children, and grandchildren were all there to comfort me. Too bad they weren't real. I really thought they were for I so loved them dearly. The next minute, my aging heartbeat came to a grinding halt and after thinking I was finally dead, I woke up in my younger body. 

I was 21 years old at the time and found myself in the dreaded simulation chamber, thinking that it wasn't possible. Nevertheless, I was, in fact, part of a super-advanced civilization. Before releasing us from the chambers, the so-called superiors wiped our minds clean of precious memories in which they deemed unnecessary towards the progress of our interstellar civilization. Things like grandchildren's names and family experiences were purposely deleted from memory but they allowed us to keep the memories related to skills we acquired from the 20th/21st century Earth simulated life. Returning back to the 27th century on Earth, I was trying to play a functional role in real life but it only led to the inevitable destruction of the universe.

Here I am now, a survivor of my former universe, floating in space like a slug, for it was my only defense. This time, it's not a simulation anymore. I am here, about to die, my body decaying, my mind wandering, and thinking to myself how someone from an advanced civilization in a state of the art nano suit could wind up like this.

I continued to sit there, drifting in space, feeling incredibly thirsty, and thinking that my end was just around the corner. Maybe someday, I would be found in space but all they'll find is a man-shaped white nanoparticle suit. If they somehow manage to open it, all they'll find is my cold dead space corpse resting inside it. In a way, it's like finding an astronaut in a white spacesuit only to find that he's been dead for years. In fact, years is probably the amount of time that'll pass before someone really does find me.

A few hours later, I opened my eyes and I could see the light at the end of the spatial tunnel. The time had come. There were infinite stretches of darkness all around me but the light was getting increasingly brighter. I was going to think that the opposite was occurring: I was returning to my formal universe from which I came from. Before, the shadows approached and the light faded but now it was the other way around. This was what I was thinking until the light I saw was actually more blue in color. Why blue? It's my favorite color but, why blue?

With the blue circle of light approaching, I suddenly felt a strong force pulling me towards it. My vision was quite blurred, I tried to get a glimpse of what I was seeing but couldn't quite make it out. Moments later, as the bright blue circular light got bigger and bigger, I could vaguely see what appeared to be cloud formations all across the surface. Was this a dream? No, I was...

Falling.

I was falling down towards what appeared to be a blue sky horizon. Is this...a planet?

It could've been Neptune but I had no idea. What was happening? I kept falling and falling down towards what looked like another blue surface. Though, slightly greenish in color. Wait. Is this...?

It seemed so familiar but I was so out of it that the name slipped from me. Suddenly, I fell further with ever-increasing velocity, and then...

I felt a painful, thunderous collision that vibrated my entire mortal frame.


	3. A New Earth

First, there was nothing but blackness in my eyes until the light started to bleed through the skin. My eyes were heavy with exhaustion and kept remaining closed but the light was still passing through with ease. I remember as a kid when I'd stare at the sun, close my eyelids and the sun was bright enough that the light would still penetrate. When that happened, you could see the pink color of your eyelids and the sun behind that was warmly brightening it up.

For a moment, I felt like I was back in space where I first saw the light. This time though, there was no zero gravity. On the contrary, I felt like the force of gravity was constantly keeping me planted down. I felt like a collapsed building and could tell that I was lying on solid firm ground. Perhaps I was on a moon or another rocky body until I could hear the sounds of wind and breeze whirring past me. Trying to recuperate strength, I began to crack open my eyes to see that there was indeed a light but it had to be a star, or, a sun I should say. As I widened my vision further my head began to tilt and I could see a blue sky all around me that was filled with clouds of various shapes and sizes.

Still lying in a supine position, I made a sharp turn of my head to the right and could see thick green foliage with trees, bushes, and wild shrubberies. I couldn't believe it! Was this a dream? I haven't seen anything so lush and green in years. Back in my world, we had some green but it was mostly non existent by the time of the fourth industrial revolution and the third world war. I thought I'd never see it again but here it is now, right in front of me and all around me. I looked around further and noticed that I was surrounded by a more diverse nature, in the middle of the woods, and lying on top of a giant patch of dark brown dirt. I lifted my right gauntlet, sank a few fingers into the ground, and lifted out a few pieces of 

"Earth?" I thought out loud.

Using both my hands, I slowly but surely managed to lift my heavy armored body off the ground. With my head and back finally off the ground, I kept myself propped up and looked further at my surroundings. It turns out, I was sitting in the middle of a giant and extensive dirt crater that was probably 17 or so feet in diameter. Some of the trees around me within the crater looked damaged but luckily it was quite minimal. I must've fallen from a considerable height at great speed but my suit likely deployed some degree of countermeasures to cushion the fall; otherwise, I would've been dead.

I looked around even further and was just mesmerized by what I was seeing. No, it wasn't the impact crater I made but rather the beautiful nature. So many details such as little rocks, weeds, pebbles, blades of grass, leaves, moss, bark, and everything else you'd expect in nature. It wasn't like those simulations in which the graphics appeared artificial. No, it was all so natural and magical to look at. I quickly got used to it but continued to have those brief moments where'd I'd sit there, pause, and appreciate what I was witnessing.

Twenty-seven minutes must've passed before I began to move my legs into a position to hopefully stand up. They were still incredibly sore so I had to steady myself with the knees until I could get into proper position. It's been days since I stood on solid ground so it took some getting used to until the leg muscle memory kicked back into the business. Just like that, I stood up, stretched, and looked around further. To my right appeared to be a forest that kept going on forever while to my left there seemed to be an ending to the forest since the trees faded into smaller sizes until it was simply grass. I looked further and noticed that there was a great and spacious plane field that led to a vast valley. Any direction seemed acceptable but I decided to make my way to the open field to hopefully get a better view of the whole area.

After spending a while in the crater, I exited out, looked back, looked forward, and started to make my way to the open field, excited for what might lie ahead. All around me, I could feel the brisk air moving, the buzzing of insects, and the chatter of what sounded like birds. Aside from those natural sounds you'd hear on a typical pre-industrial era planet, everything was so quiet and peaceful that I could listen to it all day. 

"I could get used to this" I whispered to myself while cracking a closed-mouth smile.

It must've been years since I last remembered smiling but even then my world didn't give much opportunity for it. It really was a lovely day in the neighborhood. Speaking of which, was this planet inhabited? Maybe there are people I could talk to to get some help. In particular, a small meal would be nice actually, for my mortal form had grown weak and needed subsistence.

Sooner or later though, I'd need to lose the helmet because people will probably take me as an alien. Being military in both grade and appearance could cause a fright so I checked my gadgets to see if this air was compatible with my breathing. The system was still in reboot mode, most likely from the crash, so I won't know if it's safe until later. This planet looked beautiful and what not but I had to know for sure before I could safely remove it.

In the meantime, I adjusted the nanoparticles so that I can get a more comfortable fit in my white alloy suit. I loosened up the arms and legs to allow more liberty in movement, made myself less bulky in armored appearance, and gave myself a nano-materialized cloak and scarf since the extra particles had to be stored somewhere. Thus, I made myself look less bulky by thinning out the arms and legs while storing the displaced particles in a scarf/cloak looking format. As for the torso, the boots, the gauntlets, the helmets, and the chest, I made those only slightly thinner but kept them mostly the same.

If you're wondering how this all works, you can think of it as mind-controlled play dough that solidifies in milliseconds when I confirm the shape. It's a type of cybernetic mind technology that takes years to develop the skills. While it's been a huge blessing to get me through rugged situations, my only worry was that this technology could start behaving differently now that I'm in a new dimension but also, an entirely new Earth.

Hopefully, this planet wasn't hostile but in case it was, the nano-particles could form into weapons when necessary. If I saw anything go South, I'd use the spare particles in my cloak and scarf to instantly form a phaser rifle in my hands if danger were present. The previous black military armor rifles had full auto capabilities but the white prototype armor rifles, such as the one I was wearing, could only do semi-auto but at least it was powerful enough to disintegrate most materials upon impact. However, after what I've been through so far, with nature, the tranquility, etc, I didn't feel too worried about needing it so I decided to keep the weapons hidden and not open carry.

I walked towards the edge of the forest and found myself surrounded by smaller trees and then smaller bushes as I proceeded further. At the end of it was a vast open grass field, containing small hills, with the wind blowing through the grass blades like waves in an effervescent ocean. Speaking of which, I squinted at the far distance and noticed what appeared to be a mist of vapor over the hills. 

"Water?" I mumbled.

 _Time to head towards it._

It didn't seem very far until I started walking towards it and realized that I still had quite some distance to cover. My suit had the capability for flight, or, it at least it would if things rebooted as they should, but walking felt like a better thing to do anyway. Walking is, of course, the 'normal' thing to do. It would not be wise to start flying around like Mysterio for everyone to see.

I kept going, realizing how tired I was but also how much energy I still had. Being in the vacuum of space severely drained me but being here on a bright sunny day with this wonderful landscape gave me the extra ounce of energy needed to carry on.

After finishing the last hill and overcoming the final hurdle, I was greeted to a view that I haven't seen in ages.

Out there before me, on the horizon, was a great valley much more vast than the one behind me. My eyes were further adjusting when I noticed where the water vapor was coming from; it was coming from what appeared to be a man-made water irrigation system.

"Farm!" I said excitedly until I started to cough due to the dried-up throat. 

I felt beyond thirsty so I'd better go get some water, just a little bit to tie me over. Because this was likely a farm, that means there must be people here too. Perhaps they could help me get stable and situated. I darted down the hill to grab some water and started noticing other farms in the distance as well. There were many of them, all over the place and all over the entire valley. In fact, it appeared that all of them were unique so this must be a small population of people. A small town of local farmers.

While making my way towards the water coming out of the irrigation system, I started to think back to my past life. In my universe, farmers were no longer around. In fact, after the third world war, most of the land on Earth couldn't grow crops anymore. We had to use bio-domes or artificial methods to obtain the food that we needed. While we eventually found a way to survive, we weren't truly living. Farm food had always been the best food because of the TLC put into it. Seeing all of this around me was truly a treat! Imagine how good the food must taste!

Nevertheless, I will not steal as this goes against what I believe in. Technically, I'd be stealing water I suppose but this was kind of an emergency. After all, it'd just be something to tie me over. As I trotted my way towards the farm patch, I noticed a few grain towers and red barn houses that brought back many memories. Back in the simulations, I remembered coming across barn houses and even exploring inside of one when I was younger. However, these were a thing of the past and I never got to witness them in real life. Now that I see them before my eyes, It's almost as if I'm back in the simulations again but this time to stay.

The patch of the farm was right in front of me and there were vertical stripes of green plants all along the acre. I looked closer to guess what kind of plant it was and it appeared to be...carrots? Wow, I haven't eaten a real one in forever but this shouldn't be an excuse to steal. After all, being from a stranger in these parts, I'd hate to start off with a bad reputation. Being as careful as I could, I did what I could to not step on the carrot patches. I didn't have much space to walk through but I angled myself so that I could stride my way towards the irrigation apparatus. As I got closer, I noticed something that was off.

The irrigation system seemed quite small. In fact, the height of it was just around my waist. Almost too small but that doesn't matter. From my previous simulation life, I remembered these things being taller than the top of my head. Ideally, I was going to go underneath one and take a sip. My nanoparticle helmet has the impressive ability to filter food/water particles upon command so that I can drink with the helmet on. 

However, with the top of the irrigation system being around my waist I would have to get on my knees and cup my hands to get some water. I could try to angle my head but I cupped my hands anyway and placed them below the faucet. After dropping to the knees, my gauntlet hands filled with water but were quickly emptying due to lack of a seal. I frantically tried to splash the remaining droplets onto my face but was unable to ingest any.

As I cupped my hands a second time, I placed them under the faucet again when suddenly the water switched off. 

"Argh!" I exclaimed with my hands still cupped. 

I grabbed the last few drops from the faucet and plopped them into my mouth. Hardly any made it through so I looked around and noticed other irrigation systems being activated in the distance. Fearing that walking towards them could lead to the same result by the time I got there, I decided to just make my way towards the small town. Those drops of water weren't much but the sounds of them lifted my spirits and gave me enough emotional stamina to start moving again.

I'm sure I'll be fine as there's got to be someplace in town to get water.

I noticed the red barn again and was thinking of making my way towards it but the owner of the farm is probably not there. It was tempting to explore it because if there were animals inside then horses were likely to be found among them. I've ridden one before, at least once before they became endangered in my world, but there'd always be time for that later. For now, I needed to go and speak to someone in town because space travel was starting to take a toll on me. I'm not sure how I was going to explain all this, especially with my appearance, so I'd need to be as cautious as possible. As a precaution to draw less attention, I grabbed an old brown cloth tarp from the ground, shook it out, and placed it over my torso and back. A sombrero would've been a nice addition, I did find one, but it was way too small for me.

Examining the area further, there appeared to be another red barn not too far from me close to a local asphalt road with standard yellow lane markings on it. Not only that but there also appeared to be multiple buildings there as well including a couple of cornfields, wheat fields, and large trees adjacent to it. Furthermore, there were small tents all around the red barn, and, if my eyes weren't going crazy, there seemed to be balloons attached to those tents. Someone's birthday perhaps? A local fair? It seemed like a big deal. That means people who could help me.

It was a nice sight to see, made me feel like I was living in the old days on Earth. Man, I sure miss those days, even if they weren't exactly real. Before my world ended, we had skyscrapers stretching miles into the sky. Our cities were so large that they created their own weather patterns. Practically, our entire planet became one large city. It was definitely a marvel of a lifetime but not having farms, open fields, and nature made the city a rather depressing place. Luckily for this planet, they shouldn't have to worry about that for at least another 500 years.

I walked along the cornfields, using them as a cover so that people on the highway would have a harder time spotting me. Interestingly, there was also something off about the cornfields. The crops were not nearly as tall as I remembered. They were a little less than shoulder height but I felt like they should be taller than that. It doesn't matter. I could just crouch down for now. I'm sure the corn is the most natural corn you can get here. They probably didn't use chemicals or pesticides to enhance their growth so they kept their naturally small appearance; At least, that's what I was assuming.

Haven't seen a soul yet buy the little carnival area would probably change that. Suddenly, I could hear a car driving along the road from behind me. Luckily, I was already hiding in the cornfields so the driver/passengers wouldn't spot me. It was nice to hear a gas-powered car for the first time in a long time since most vehicles in my timeline were cold fusion-powered or above. Yes, gas-powered cars pollute the air but this area was already so beautiful enough that I didn't mind being old school.

Anyway, as the car approached, I tried to get a view of the driver but couldn't quite see him/her. On the other hand, at least they couldn't spot me. However, as they were driving away, I managed to see someone sticking their arm out the window but I was scratching my head when that arm had what appeared to be a black cup holder stuck on the hand. I couldn't see the hand but it sure looked like a long red sleeved shirt with a black cup holder at the end of it. Who sticks their arm out the car window with a cup holder stuck around their hand? Interesting. Maybe their hand was cold.

After traveling what felt like 7 acres, I was getting close to the little carnival area and was shocked about the memory-lane feeling of the vicinity. I could hear relaxing music, fun games, energetic children, conversing adults, and fresh food being cooked on the premises. I wasn't sure what to think but the whole area looked quite, well, miniaturized. The fair tents weren't even next to me but I could tell they were quite small. Does this Earth have a generally shorter population? Well, considering that humans have continuously grown taller over the years of evolution, especially during the years 2100-2150, it's a possibility. After all, these people haven't reached that era yet so I'll eventually get used to it. However, everything still seemed a bit compact than what I was used to.

Upon reaching the final cornfield patch adjacent to the carnival, I moved into the crops, made narrow but careful steps towards a small red shed, and a thick tree that'd be good to hide behind. In front of me, there was a parked light blue colored truck filled with hay bales. Examining the truck, it appeared quite small, unsurprisingly. I'd have to be less than 5 years old to fit in that thing. Curious indeed.

I stood at the base of the tree and noticed that its size was comparatively similar to the ones found in my world. Scratching the bark and pulling off a small chunk, I briefly admired it's detailed texture and natural scent, especially since trees were a rare find in my world. It's kind of like the Lorax all over again.

Dropping the piece of bark and realizing that I should regain focus, I focused my gaze on the carnival tents in front of me. I was right. They were definitely child-sized tents but this was likely a kid's party after all. The only thing that was confusing was that I could hear adult voices coming from within and around those tents but couldn't quite see anybody yet. _Are they inside those tents as well?_ I thought. Stepping around the tree, straightening my posture, and lifting my head, I was able to get a glance at the main area in front of the tents.

I could see small grey figures moving about but they appeared to be...

_Bunnies?_

_"What?"_ I quietly mumbled. 

There were 10 of them, 20 of them, no; there were hundreds of them! And they were all...walking? On two feet? Were they doing tricks? I was thinking _maybe_ until I further noticed that they were wearing... clothes... and they were walking like people. Was there a talented pet owner taming these bunnies? No, these bunnies were not being tamed at all. In fact, they were talking. _They talked._ What was going on? Could this be some sort of hallucination? Why was I seeing things?

I closed my eyes, blinked a few times, closed them again, and reopened them. Same thing. I was still seeing bunnies, mostly bunnies. Some had their ears pointing up, while others had their ears pointed down. They wore normal clothes with the exception of shoes and socks for they were barefooted but still wore actual civilian clothes. Much like the ones I've seen on people except this time they were being worn by talking bunnies.

Not only bunnies but other animals were also in the mix. To name a few, I could see a pig, a sheep, a sloth, and even a bobcat cub who were also walking, talking, and wearing clothes like the other bunnies around them. The area was filled with mostly bunnies so this must've been their official town or something. I tried to see if there were any people here but they were nowhere to be found. Nowhere. No people, no humans.

I was getting Planet of the Apes/Bunnies vibes as I kept looking at the carnival grounds. Did the animals' revolt and turn against humans after a lab experiment went wrong? Well, based on how small the buildings were, it made sense that the animals have always lived here. The buildings were well suited to their small sizes. 

But wait. I saw other animals too. They were slightly bigger so do they have a city of their own? Do all these animals live in peace together? In that exact second, I saw a little fox cub playing a variant of soccer with a little lamb and bunny over by one of the hay bales next to the food tent. Wow, I thought. They do in fact seem to be living in peace but how is this possible? A fox would normally eat the prey but that didn't happen.

It looks like I wouldn't be talking to people anytime soon. I may very well be the first and only human on this planet that's surrounded by anthropomorphic animals. Who would've thought? I've seen many movies about this in my world but it felt so strange to actually be there that I didn't know how to react to it. Should I try to... talk to someone? Eventually, I will need to because that food smelled good, I'm famished with hunger, but I can't just walk out there and grab something. First off, I wouldn't steal. Second, I did't have money, just republic credits from a universe that no longer existed. Third, I did't want to cause a panic. I couldn't let them know that I was here. 

Perhaps I can pretend to be an animal and attempt to fit in but I'm too big and can't think of a specific familiar species that I can claim myself to be. How should I do this? I'm sure the answer was simple but It's hard to concentrate while my energy levels are low.

I just needed to get out of here, find the smallest group of animals possible, talk to one of them away from large crowds, stay 6 feet away, avoid attention, and hopefully get settled and calmed down. As I was turning around, about to disappear back into the corn maze, I could hear a soccer ball whiz past my helmet.

The ball hit the tree in front of me, rebounded off of it, hit me in the chest, bounced off and rolled away towards the edge of the cornfield. Not thinking anything else like I should've done, I simply and curiously walked towards the ball, bent down, and gripped it with one of my gauntlet hands. 

"Soccer?" I whispered to myself. 

The ball was about 2/3 the size of the ones found in my universe and the pattern was all the same. It was just a soccer ball. I examined it closely and noticed a thick black checkmark with the phrase _'Just zoo it'_ stamped below it. As I let out a small, nearly inaudible chuckle, I could hear several footsteps approaching from behind me. I froze in place as the footsteps got closer and closer to me.

"Oh! S-s-sorry sir, we did-didn't see you!" a young voice shyly said from behind. 

Gripping the soccer ball in one hand, arm down, I slowly turned around and looked down to see that a fox cub had spoken to me. Next to him was a small black sheep, slightly taller, and a teeny bunny that was slightly shorter. Based on the clothes they were wearing, the fox appeared to be a boy while the other two were girls. All three of them were staring up at me and I could see much emotion in their eyes. They were staring up at me in both awe and fright, not knowing what to say. Despite the three being cute little animal cubs, I was still nervous because deep down I was sort of a shy introvert.

Realizing I should've just walked away but remembered the ball was still in my hand, I did what naturally came to me and slowly crouched down. The sheep and the bunny got nervous and started to back away but the fox just stood there continuing to stare with his mouth hanging slightly open. These kids had emotions that were similar to a human despite them not being human. Knowing that I had my helmet and armor on, those kids were probably thinking of two things about me: First, what kind of animal was this? Second, where were his eyes? My helmet technically had eyes but they don't move as a living organism's eyes would. Thus, I can't blame them for the surprised looks they were giving me.

_I don't even think they've ever seen a human before._

To get down to their level, I bent down further and slowly extended my arm out to return the soccer ball. What else was I supposed to do? I didn't want to keep it.

After slowly stretching my arm out towards the fox, the sheep and bunny ran away but the fox only backed away ever so slightly. He continued looking at me with those royal blue eyes, slowly gazed at the ball, and placed his hands, err, dark red-furred paws on top of it. It seemed that he didn't know what to do but I gave him a slight nod, gesturing him to take the ball and he carefully pulled it out of my gauntlet.

He slowly started to walk backward, still looking up at me, and he nervously albeit cheerfully said "Th-thank you." and immediately took off running back towards the carnival grounds.

In my head, I was thinking _What have I done?_ It wouldn't take long before those kids mentioned me to other animals and have the whole place made aware of my presence. It was time to go now so I immediately took off into the cornfield patch. This time, I was actually jogging and not walking to prevent others from catching up. Taking a couple of peaks behind my back, I had a gut feeling that they were on the lookout for me. How long before more animals found out? If I lucked out, the kids would keep it to themselves. Then again, if I were one of those kids and some white armored alien-looking creature returned a soccer ball to me, then I'd probably tell everyone about it. I saw that fox cub's face and he had that sly look to him as if he would be the one to tattle tale with his tail.

Despite a part of me thinking it was an unintelligent thing to interact with those animal cubs, the other part of me was quite fascinated by it. They seemed really nice, brave, and polite for their age. I've always been with other humans like myself in my former world but animal interaction was quite minimal. Again, most animals were extinct in my time period and only dogs were among the last remaining majority. Even then, it was still rare to come across one.

As I kept going through the cornfields, many thoughts and questions were still flowing through my head. It was still hard to believe that I was in this unique world and was curious to learn more about it. It wasn't my original intention to come here and things would've been a lot easier if I could just interact with people/humans instead. I know they're human worlds out there but it's uncertain as to how I'm getting there. My suit still works well in its essential functions but I fear the flight systems have been temporarily compromised, ever since I made the dimension jump. I rechecked the status but it seemed to be taking longer than normal to recover.

Thus, I may be stuck here for a while and have to make the most of it. Right now, the last thing I want is to become a 'Wanted' alien and have everyone conduct a large-scale manhunt for me so I better keep moving and try to be discrete. My methods won't last forever so I need to start looking for someone to talk to. Anyone really. I just need someone that's not completely surrounded by others so that I can talk with them directly, share my experience, and get some help. That fox kid could've been someone to share my experience with as he seemed quite brave; but, he's no longer an option since he's back there with his parents and other animals at the carnival/circus.

Further down the road next to the cornfields, I could see a family of bunnies casually walking in the opposite direction by which I came from. They were on the right side of the road and were probably just heading home. There appears to be a mother and father walking with their child between them who was holding each one of his parent's paws. The father was on the side closest to the road, talking into his... _Cellphone/iPhone_ , the child in the middle was skipping up and down while his parents supported him, and the mother was on the right side of the child, carrying what looked like a giant stuffed carrot prize from the carnival.

I stayed low so they wouldn't see me and tried to get a closer look. Fortunately, I kept myself well hidden and was thinking that maybe I could talk to them. Only three of them and if I waited long enough, they would have walked far enough away from where I previously was. 

As I got into a better position, I heard a loud "Hey!" coming from the opposite direction. 

Getting nervous, I backed up a bit to stay further hidden but realized that it was just two other bunnies calling out to the other three bunnies.

"Hey! Wait for us! We're coming!" one of the bunnies called out.

It looked like those two other bunnies were also part of the family and just trying to catch up with their parents. I'm not a bunny expert, but the two bunnies appeared to be in their teenage years. _Older brother and sister?_ I thought. I stayed hidden and watched as they tip-toed back to their parents and started walking alongside them down the road.

Thinking that the group was unfortunately too big to talk to, I thought there weren't too many of them compared to before. Perhaps I could slowly make an approach and carefully talk to them. Luckily I didn't. Why? Because five more bunnies also ran towards them and caught up to them. _There's more?_ I murmured. Now there were 10 of them and there's no way that I'd reveal myself to that many bunnies. They could've been friends but it turns out that they too were part of the family. I mean, it's nice to see big families here, it really is, but it's not helping the current situation.

They walked further down the road so I just sat there and let them go. I was lying prone in the cornfield with the road in front of me. It was quite a long road, extending all the way to the carnival and beyond in one direction while extending past the hills and through the distant mountains in the other direction. Moments later, I noticed the road had a 'T' intersection to it. If the long road was going North and South then the other road at the intersection appeared to be going West. Maybe it was East but I do know that it was running perpendicular to the road I was currently at.

Since I came from the other two directions, I decided to take the perpendicular road because I noticed that it led to a direction I haven't traveled yet. Also, it appeared to be less dense in buildings which means fewer people, err, animals, and less commotion to deal with. I quickly got up, looked both ways as taught in elementary school, and crossed the road, making sure that no one would spot me. The road was long, it would take quite a while to fully traverse, and would definitely fuel the appetite I've had all day since my crash landing here. It matters not, I've got to keep moving so I began walking.

As I kept going and going for what felt like an hour, I was lucky to not have many cars drive past me. When I could hear one coming, I went prone and pulled the brown cloak/ tarp over my body to try and blend in. I'd receive a few glances but they didn't seem to notice. Either they were moving too fast to see anything or I was just good at hiding. I did get a weird glance from a zebra driver earlier but he didn't pull over or anything to try and spot me. It's crazy to think that he was driving because I can only imagine trying to push the steering wheel with your hooves/cup holder hands.

After the zebra, there was no soul in sight. My head was getting incredibly light-headed but I had to press forward. It was just a lonely road, distant mountains, vast farms, a small wooden fence running alongside the road that was about half the height of my lower leg, a couple of bushes here and there, and finally, a power-line that was running parallel to the wooden fence. The power-line was taller than me but still about half the size as the ones from my world.

When I finally walked an additional 17 minutes, my head was spinning with dizziness but I could see another large tree that was similar to the one I tore the bark off of earlier. The tree was next to a large patch of carrots and around that patch of carrots, I could see purple flowers running along the perimeter. Under the tree, I could see a small truck carrying crops with the back still propped open to unload the cargo. Next to the tree, I could see what appeared to be a fruit stand. Maybe it was a vegetable stand. Actually, it was a vegetable stand.

As I approached the stand that was on the opposite side of the road to me, it was primarily white in color, had a red tin roof in the front, and had a large wooded white arch above it. It was supported by wooden beams and I could see baskets upon baskets of vegetables for sale. Looking further, I could see other fruits there as well; namely, blueberries.

The stand had a name on it that was above the red tin roof and painted on the front of the white wooden arch. Just below the arch was a painted picture of a pink bunny head with the name _'Hobbs Family Farm'_. On each side of the name was a painted picture of a carrot, with the ends pointing towards the name. Upon closer inspection, it didn't read as 'Hobbs'. It actually read as ' _Hopps Family Farm'_ **.** It seemed fitting for this area.

Taking a few steps closer, I could see three figures working at the stand. They were all bunnies. One of them looked young while the other two appeared to be her parents. So far, they haven't noticed me yet which was good. Either I talk to them or I keep walking. I was leaning more towards walking away but knew that I'd perish with thirst if I were to do this so my life might rest in the paws of these bunnies. I couldn't see any others nearby so I thought to myself _'This is it'._

Staring from the other side of the road I took a deep breath, nervously exhaled, and slowly approached the vegetable stand not knowing what would happen next.


	4. Judith

Perhaps this wasn't a good idea I thought. 

I could always turn back but, too late, I was already semi-committed. As I took small steps forward, the bunnies' ears instantly perked up and all eyes were on me. My goodness, they have good hearing.

The younger one was in the stand while, what appeared to be the mother and father, were outside unloading food crates. The mother was wearing a short-sleeved royal blue plaid shirt while the father was wearing a short-sleeved light blue plaid shirt with tan overalls on top and a green baseball looking cap between his ears. The cap had a white square logo on it with a carrot in the middle.

"Oh... cripes," the father murmured as he dropped the vegetable crate without spilling, continuing to stare at me like an anomaly. 

The mother likewise stared at me and got closer to her husband for safety while slowly and tightly embracing him. One couldn't blame them for I was a white armored giant with a brown cloak towering over them.

Taking further steps inward to cross the road, they both stood still as their mouths hung open in surprise. However, the younger one exited the vegetable stand and started taking small steps towards me with her paws inside the pockets of her jeans. Quite the brave one I'll admit.

Being a bit shorter than the father and a bit taller than the mother, she wore a pink plaid shirt and had a straw hat on her head with the ears folded back. She was a young rabbit, perhaps in her 20s, with a lithe build and round face. She was covered in gray fur with a lighter shade on her underbelly up to her muzzle and on her paws. She had large purple eyes, a pink nose, and long ears with black tips. She curiously and carefully looked up at me and I couldn't help but notice her big vibrant purple colored eyes.

For about 17 seconds it felt like a staring contest and I was thinking sooner or later she'd retreat or back away from my presence but instead, a bright warm smile came to her face.

"Hi!" she said so friendly that it caught me off guard.

I still couldn't believe that a bunny spoke to me and that I needed to say something back.

My words felt stuck in my mouth and I couldn't speak. It was as if I didn't know how to talk. My head tilted forward in slight embarrassment with eyes towards the grass ground.

The young bunny stepped closer until she was right in front of me, her head being about the level of my knee. She concerningly placed a paw on the side of my knee, noticing the foreign armored texture that's likely unknown to this world, and tried to look at me in the eyes.

"Hey.... are you okay?"

I looked up at her eyes and felt a slight calming reassurance. Forcing myself to speak for the first time in a while and slowly lifting my jaw, there was a short delay.

"...Um... Hello," I mumbled followed by a bashful wave of my hand.

There was a small pause, she lowered her paw and clasped both paws together in front of her.

 _"_ Do you need any help?" she smiled. "You look like you're a long way from home," 

Indeed I was. Infinitely a long way from home it seems. My legs were starting to feel increasingly tired like spaghetti but I continued standing there, managed to broaden myself, and prepared to converse with a bunny.

" ...Yes... yes, I am." I slowly answered while trying to stand strong due to my physical exhaustion taking its toll. It was getting hard to hide it.

She looked up at me and then turned to look back at her parents who appeared to worry exceedingly about her safety. I speculated they were going to run away from me for I was like an alien to them. After a brief wait, she gave them a slight nod to relieve their fears, turned back towards me.

"We can help. Let us help you!" she declared with energy.

A hurried notion then came to mind.

"Water... ...please" I begged, as my voice started to choke.

"Oh yes! Right this way!" The little bunny beckoned. She gestured to the large shaded tree next to the vegetable stand and I started to follow.

"Mom, Dad! Can we get some water? ...Please?"

With slight hesitation, both of them went behind the vegetable stand to pull out a heavy jug and a metallic mug. The father lifted the jug while the mother held the mug steady for pouring.

My mind was harshly aching after each step I took and caused me to slow down. I lifted my gauntlet and placed it on top of my head, forgetting that I was still wearing a helmet. A sharp pain unlike any other shot up my spine, into my forehead, and caused me to stumble over to my knees. The young bunny gasped, hopped over to my side, and grabbed my other hand with both paws.

"It's okay, I've got you!" she comforted.

It's not like she was lifting me or anything but she lightly guided me to the shaded tree. I quickly stood up, bearing the pain better but still feeling it, and finally made it over to the shaded trunk.

 _"_ Please sit, and rest! Water's coming." she quickly said as she skipped to the vegetable stand.

I leaned myself back against the tree trunk, slowly sliding down until my bottom touched the grass. My legs were bent, spread out, and I tilted my head back against the trunk to relax. All my limbs felt like jello. Small specs of sunlight bled through the above canopy but the shade was mostly there, thankfully around my face. It felt wonderful to sit down and finally catch a break. A little more of this and maybe I'll fully recover from space travel. We'll see.

Nearly closing my eyes, I could hear small, soft steps moving towards me and the young bunny had the water mug gripped with both paws. She came over to my side and extended out both arms to hand it over.

"Here you go! The coolest and freshest water of BunnyBurrow!"

I did not care where the water came from nor did I care about the temperature. At this stage, any water would do and I'd soon perish without it. It's crazy that all my life, the greatest fear had been drowning but now the situation was flipped. My arm shakingly extended towards her, I gripped the mug handle with my gauntlet, and slowly pulled the mug back to my chest while trying not to spill it. My goodness, I felt like that 113-year-old man from my simulated life. Notwithstanding, a youthful sense of joy still came to mind as I looked into the mug.

"Thank you..." I nodded.

I stared in gratitude at the clear water and carefully raised it to my mouth. As the mug approached the mouth of my helmet, the nano-particles formed a permeable layer to allow the water to pass through and I started to gulp down the entire mug. My goodness did it taste amazing! She was right! The water, it was so rejuvenating that it made me smile and go 'Aaah'. However, she, of course, wasn't familiar with nanotechnology so the water appeared to be miraculously disappearing from the mug as it touched my facemask.

She kept staring at the way I was drinking, trying to figure out how in the world I was drinking. I even made slurping sounds to make it obvious that I was drinking and not just doing some strange magic trick. Her parents approached from behind, came closer, not seeming quite as worried as before, and shared the same curiosity. At this point, they probably knew that I meant no harm to them. Even then, they seemed to carefully examine me as I was finishing up the water. I could tell that they had thousands of questions so I mentally prepared myself to converse with bunnies and waited for them to talk first. 

A moment later, the father nervously inquired, "So... uh... sir... If you don't mind us asking... what the heck are you?" 

"...and where's your tail?" the mother added.

I looked up at both of them trying to think of how to respond. Instead, I simply looked to both sides of me as if I were trying to find my tail. After finding nothing, I looked back at them again and simply shrugged my shoulders. The young one seemed to smile at my gesture but the parents appeared a bit thrown off by it. 

She took a step closer. "So, let's start with a better question... what's your name?"

No one's ever asked me that question before. In my world, we had constant access to a database of names for every citizen so it wasn't necessary to ever ask. However, things here are different and more traditional; plus, I don't even know the names of these animals either. They just saved me from severe dehydration; thus, it was time to get into the proper introductions, if I remembered how to do it.

"Cheribim," I answered.

They all looked at each other. "What? Cheri-what?"

"Cheribim." I reaffirmed. "My name is Cheribim."

"Woah, wait, Bonnie, did he just say Cherry Bin?" the father asked while glancing at the mother, which, I'm assuming was Bonnie.

"Yes, Yes, I think so..." she replied.

"No no, it's Chair-uh-bim," I corrected with articulation.

"Wait, can you spell that for me?" the young bunny asked while swiftly pulling out a small notebook and a pen, well, carrot pen from her back pocket. "So it's C. H... and then?"

"Yes, it's C. H. and then E. R. I. B. I. M."

She finished writing my name down, whispering it back to herself, and then snapped the notebook closed. "Great! Thank you!" 

I gave a simple nod that they could see but a smile that they could not see because of the helmet. 

Next, the mother cuts in. "So, um, how can we put this? We've... never really seen anyone like you before in Bunnyburrow. ...Never."

"Never!" the father inserted.

She continued, "As a family, we've had this stand here for... I'd say about... 13...14 years?"

"15 years!" the father proudly corrected with enthusiasm. "Along with many more years of being noble carrot farmers throughout other parts of Bunnyburrow. Decades even!"

"Mm-hm, just putting the seeds on the ground." she proclaimed. "You get it, yeah. We've seen many animals of different sizes, colors, and shapes pass through here... but we've never seen a mammal such as yourself. Ever."

"Yeah," The father added while stepping in. "We were thinking that maybe you were some type of, oh, I don't know, some fierce Arctic white bear from Tundra town... which made us quite nervous." He nervously chuckled. "I mean, they're enormous, they're strong...they're terrifying! and most will pounce on you like there's no tomorrow! Do you remember that time when I ran into Mr. Big at Gazelle's concert?"

The mother rolled her eyes "Oh, Stu, that was just an accident" while the younger one did a facepalm, trying to contain her laughter. In this manner, they continued to chatter, I was entertained by it but had no idea what they were talking about. With all these animals talking, it felt like being in Narnia, though a modernized one, and it was still hard to believe in all this.

"...Right, right, I know! But you don't seem much like a bear. Not that you're not big, or not strong or going to pounce but most Arctic bears have, well, fur, lots of it. But you don't seem to have any fur and your tail...where the heck is your tail? Most mammals, including bears, have one to balance on two legs. Earlier you fell down before getting to this tree and... you having a tail could've kept you out of the dirt..."

"Oh, for goodness sake Stu! he could've been born without a tail or maybe a really short one. Besides, he must've been really exhausted from walking that long stretch of road without a car."

"Sure, yeah, Of course, absolutely. But not having a tail, being a mammal we've never seen before who's probably not a bear and... "

"Dad!," the young one finally interjected. "Okay, look. We're just beating around the bushy tail here. Can we allow Cheribim to catch a little breath before we start asking too many questions?"

I nodded in agreement for I didn't feel quite ready to continue this conversation. Out of all things that were off regarding my overall appearance, was he really concerned about me not having a tail? Did it really matter? Beats me.

The water helped immensely, I was already feeling 150% better, but my throat was still dry and sore from exhaustion. I felt like asking for more but before I could say anything, the young bunny seemed to read my mind.

"Here! I'll get you some more water. It's on the house!" She insisted as she reached for the empty mug and handed it to her father. "Mom, Dad, can you fill this up for Cheribim?"

"Sure, anything for Cherry."

"Oh Stu, It's Cheribim." the mother corrected.

"Yeah, of course, sure. Chair...of ...bin... yeah, I think I got it."

As they walked back to the stand to fill the empty mug, the young bunny walked over and sat next to me. We were watching the parents preparing to fill the mug while they were having an inaudible conversation with each other. I turned my attention to the bunny next to me and she placed her furry paw on my forearm, looking concerned over the cold, unfamiliar texture of the armor, and asked:

"How are you feeling?"

"Better" I replied, "But it's been a long day."

"Really? I bet!" she remarked. "You'll have to tell me all about it."

However, I didn't say anything and simply nodded. Her parents brought over the water and briskly returned back to the stand to help a customer who happened to be another bunny. From here, it looked like a mother with two children. Great, I thought; more creatures to spot me. Thankfully, the two mothers diverted each other's focus and engaged in rich conversation which helped draw roaming gazes away from the shaded tree. Meanwhile, the young bunny next to me studied my nano-suit, thinking it was probably hard skin, and gave a puzzled look. She rubbed two paw-like fingers across the surface and realized something.

"Wait, is this... ...armor?"

"Sort of"

"What's it for?"

"You can think of it as... a...um...traditional outfit. A work uniform."

Technically, I wasn't lying; plus, there's no point in going into detail about all the science behind it. She pondered my answer and I could tell she had many more questions but she ultimately stopped herself out of respect to not overwhelm me as she stated before. There was a brief intermission so I decided to break the ice.

"By the way... thanks for letting me rest here, and ...thank you for the water."

"Oh, of course! If there's ever a mammal or anyone in need, we will always help! That's what we're here for."

Indeed, it was a blessing to have come across this family. Imagine if they weren't here today selling vegetables then I would've had to walk an extra set of kilometers further down the road to receive any aid. Even so, another family could've fled away from me and likely called the authorities, leading to more trouble than I had the energy for.

But for this family, they were unlike most families I've come across. It wasn't just them being bunnies, but rather, I could feel a significant difference. A stranger like me comes along and already they don't make me feel like one. And now, I didn't want them to feel like a stranger to me so I turned my attention back to the young bunny.

"Do you have a name?"

"Oh, yes! Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD. But you can call me Judy."

She extended out her small paw and I didn't know what she was doing. Right, handshake I assumed, or paw shake, whatever they might call it here. Thus, I carefully shook her paw with my big hand, trying my best not to crush it.

"It's a pleasure."

"Thanks! But really, the pleasure's all mine." She declared with a bright warm smile.

I reflected upon her name. In my world, names like Eddy, Freddy, Trudy, and Judy were often written as Edward, Freddrick, Trudith, and, of course, Judith. This was mostly done for the sake of name formality in our population database. However, I liked the name Judy equally well for it reminded me of an old friend from the old days in the simulation chambers.

"Ah," she added while pointing to the vegetable stand. "And my parents over there are Bonnie and Stu. They can be crazy but I sure love them."

"So you're Judy," I emphasized.

"Yep! That's me."

"Good name."

"Ha, why thank you!" Judy smiled. "I like your name too! Cheribim. It's definitely unique." 

"I appreciate it."

"So what does your name mean?"

As she was asking that question, I could see Bonnie and Stu bringing over another refilled metal mug, and what looked like a basket full of... blueberries? Yum. They handed me the mug, I nodded to say thank you and they set the basket on the ground. I turned back toward's Judy and stated: "It's a long story but I'll have to share it another time"

I took another sip of the mug and it was just as refreshing as last time, maybe even better. Was that a couple of cucumbers in there? Such a blessing! Though still exhausted, I was starting to recover slowly but surely.

"Bonnie, Stu... thank you. This... means a lot."

"We're always happy to help!" Bonnie expressed. "After all, we are the Hopps family! We always try to help each other out the best way we can."

"That's right Bonnie. And whether you're a Polar Bear, a not so polar bear, bipolar bear, or whatever, us carrot farmers, proud and humble, have a responsibility to make the world a better place. Whether that be one carrot at a time, one water at a time, or a couple of blueberries at a time... Oh, and by the way, speaking of which, Mr. Cherry-bin, " Stu gestured to the basket Bonnie was carrying. "We brought a couple for you to try!"

Bonnie opened the basket, lifted it, and brought it in front of me. My, what a sight! Every blueberry in the basket looked well crafted, well grown, and delicious. They were so splendid looking that it would be a crime to eat it; or, better yet, a crime to _not_ eat it. Regardless, I carefully grabbed a couple with my gauntlet hand and started popping some into my mouth. As before, the nanoparticles on my facemask adjusted to make a filter so that the blueberries could pass through. The filter appeared invisible to anyone looking at it but it allowed food to seemingly phase through the helmet and get to my mouth. After chewing, of course, my stomach did the rest.

Bonnie, Stu, and Judy started to give me those strange stares again. They were unfamiliar with this technology and probably presumed, at first, that this helmet was my real face. In my universe, these suits allowed us to explore other planets, visit uninhabitable zones, and be protected from many forms of biological and biomechanical warfare. However, citizens and soldiers alike would have to eat something eventually but removing their helmets to eat would prove fatal. Not only could someone snipe your head off at any given moment but also there were many biological threats in the air. Even neurotoxins in the air, though uncommon, were a notable threat that shouldn't have been underestimated. After many wars, our Earth's atmosphere became increasingly poisonous so we had to protect ourselves from breathing in the ever-present hazardous particles by constructing nano-filter helmets; these, of course, would allow food rations to pass through while preventing foreign and unwelcome particles from entering.

For example, if your sandwich had some mold then the moldy parts would simply fall off as the sandwich entered the helmet. The only part of the sandwich that would make it to your mouth was the safe/healthy parts. If you were to try and eat a food item that was completely spoiled, the helmet filter would block the food from entering at all. One moment, you're holding a poisonous apple, you try to eat it but then it completely crumbles to dust outside your helmet because it's not fit to eat.

Luckily, the Hopp's family's blueberries were passing through the filter just fine so I could tell they were clean, sanitary, and had no particle of danger to them. Even so, I could tell that all three bunnies were feeling uncomfortable with this. They probably felt good about noticing others enjoying their naturally grown farm food; however, my method of enjoying it was too bizarre for them.

They just didn't understand the life I came from before: A life of hiding, a life of concealment, a life of survival, and a life of constant fear. In other words, a life that would completely destroy your mortal form if it weren't for the suits to act as a protective barrier. Thus, it was all just a habit. Judy stood up, walked over to her parents who were in front of me, and positioned herself in front of them. She looked at me in the eyes, or, at least where she suspected my eyes were.

"Take off your mask. You don't need it." 

Taken back by Judy's request, I asked: "What do you think you'll see if I do?"

Judy shifted her weight to one leg, placed a paw on her hip, and answered: "Your face, of course!"

I thought she was crazy for it was completely against protocol to do what she commanded. What if I cannot breathe this air? Yes, this Earth is much like Earth-77 but I would have preferred that my suit confirmed it was safe to do so. However, I did not want to question her again; thus, for some reason, I decided to do as she instructed. She figured it out and knew the helmet was not my real face. In fact, they all probably knew that my whole body was covered in armor and not just my head.

Slowly and softly exhaling, I raised my forearms and brought my hands to the helmet and gripped both sides with my palms. The three bunnies observed every small movement and were anxious to see what was next. I could have simply collapsed the nano-particles forming my helmet into the suit but ultimately decided to remove it the more traditional way; that is, pull it off like a medieval knight or a motorcycle helmet.

There was a nearly inaudible sound of decompressed air at the bottom of my helmet as it was being loosened. Their bunny ears perked up, I carefully lifted the helmet off my head and held it below my chest.

I couldn't believe what I just did: I removed my helmet and, to my surprise, I was still breathing. The air seemed perfectly fine and it was pleasant to feel the soothing breeze around my ears. It was a lovely feeling that I had not experienced in many years; and, even though a slight headache was developing, It was to be expected while adjusting to this new environment.

A quiet gasp could be heard from among the three bunnies in front of me. Bonnie placed a paw over her mouth, Stu's mouth dropped open, and Judy's eyes became widened. Clearly, these bunnies have never seen a human before. Perhaps I should've stuck with being a polar bear.

I was like most humans, typical in appearance and size. Perhaps above average if I were to humbly admit, at least for stature. My eyes were blue colored, my short hair was a dark blond color, I was clean-shaven, and my skin was a mix of olive and white color. My age, though young, was often considered on a sliding scale due to the nature of time travel experiments back in my universe.

In our world, genetic modification was a thing for it gave humans a pathway to many unique abilities and advantages, often at the unfortunate expense of natural-born looks. As impressive as they were, some would consider them to be quite unnatural, dangerous, threatful, or even disturbing. Luckily though, I couldn't afford many of those upgrades but I was able to afford basic treatments such as corrected vision which hardly altered my natural appearance.

After giving the three bunnies time to absorb my true appearance, I set my helmet on the ground to the left of me. Over on my right, I picked up the water mug and started to take sips to distract myself from their gazing stares. This time, it looked more natural and they could see that I had an actual mouth.

It felt like being in a human zoo for they kept looking and I was getting camera shy. Sometimes I like attention but other times I try to avoid it if there's too much. At least Judy's stare wasn't too bad for she had a sweet small smile but Bonnie and Stu were both giving me strange looks. Judy was looking into my real eyes while her parents were trying to process everything by looking at different parts of my face. Mouth, ears, nose, and forehead. Starting to feel slightly ashamed of my human looks in a world of animals, I set the water mug down and pulled a hood over my head from the brown cloak. It was tempting to just place the helmet back on but I refrained from doing so. Thus, this was like a compromise. At the end of the day, I do get sunburned easily.

"Yep, he's definitely not a polar bear" Stu admitted, followed by Bonnie trying to elbow him. "...and wow! there's ...no fur either...just...fur on top of his head."

An interval of time passed and they all still appeared to be in contemplation. To be fair, this was all new to them and one couldn't criticize them for how odd I must've appeared. After all, their entire faces were covered in rabbit fur while I, on the other hand, only had skin. At least for me, I've seen bunnies before even though I've never met one that talked. But for them, they've never met a talking human, let alone, any human at all.

"Hey, it's okay." Judy comforted, taking a step closer, and knowing that she and her parents have been staring at me for quite a while. "We're sorry..., it's just..., we've never seen your species before. ...If you don't mind, could you tell us what species you are?"

I paused for a moment to inhale/exhale before giving an answer. Here goes nothing. "Well, I am a...human."

The three bunnies looked at each other as if the word sounded like a confusing old French word. "A...what?" Bonnie asked, seeming bewildered.

"A human," I firmly replied. Then, I was going to say homo sapiens to be more specific but figured it would be best to keep things simple.

"You mean human-gous? Because you're definitely humongous in size" Stu commented.

"No no, human," I corrected with a light chuckle. "Human is the name of my species. I am a human."

"Wait, could you spell that for me?" Judy asked while taking out her notebook and pen again. She might as well write chapter 2 about me. Nonetheless, I should cooperate.

"Human, it's H. U. M. A. N."

While Judy was writing, Bonnie and Stu were both typing on their smartphones and the whole area fell silent while everyone was conducting their research.

"Nope! Couldn't find it on Zoogle" Stu scratched his head.

"Me neither. It says no results found." Bonnie concluded.

"Got it!" Judy jotted down a few more words, looked up at me, and then jotted a few more. Hopefully, she wasn't already on chapter 3. She stood there for a moment in deep reflection, saying quietly to herself: "Wow, a new species! This is crazy. Wait until Nick hears about this!" Suddenly, her ears perked up a little, and then she asked:

"So Cheribim, if you're...human, where are you from?"

This was about to get quite interesting I reckoned. Though, I decided to keep it simple until I felt the time was right at a later time. "I'm from Earth, just like all of you."

"Really??" Stu asked in surprise. "But we've lived our entire lives here and have never seen your particular species around here."

"Right," I added. "But I'm still from Earth. It's just... a... different part of Earth is where I'm from."

"Oh my, which part?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, it's across a vast ocean of stars,"

 _"_ What's the name of it? I can look it up on Zoogle maps," Judy said while pulling out her iPhone. I just noticed that it had a carrot logo on it, similar to the apple logo. "And sorry for all these questions we have! We're just really interested in learning more about you. I mean, it's not every day that someone like you comes to visit BunnyBurrow."

"No worries Judy. All good. So umm, for the name of the place...the name of the place by which I'm from... is... well... hmmm... "

I felt incredibly stuck and did not know how to proceed. If I gave the real answer, it could've led to quite a long discussion. I just sat there, trying to think, while scratching the back of my neck. Now was not the time to go into all the details; if I did, then it would become abundantly clear to them that I'm an alien to their world. Maybe they knew that by now but I would still try to hide it as long as I could. Wherefore, I had to think of a way out of this one.

Stu inquired: "You don't know the name of the place you're from? Does it have a weird pronunciation or something like that?"

"Umm... yeah," I conveniently answered, while slowing down in nervousness. "It's... something along those lines... it's just... my head hurts ...a lot. I had a big fall today... so I cannot think straight..."

I tried to sell it by placing my gauntlets on my head as if I were in pain. Awkwardly, I accidentally tapped my exposed head too hard with one of the gauntlets and it actually hurt, causing me to nearly yell _Ow!_ out loud. My goodness, that was embarrassing. I kept forgetting that I wasn't wearing my helmet and I tried to blend it in by making it look like my head was indeed throbbing.

Quite frankly, in my defense, my head really was in pain. In most habitable worlds, adjusting to the atmosphere would take an hour minimum, according to our training. Until then, we had to bear with the mild to severe headaches. I may have exaggerated the headache pain a bit by using it as an excuse to not talk about where I was from with the bunnies; but now, I sealed the pain more after hitting myself in the head by accident.

" ...But I'll be okay," I added, with the gauntlet to my forehead. "I just need a moment to adjust..."

Judy and Bonnie both looked at each other in worry and concern. "Oh my, you poor thing" Bonnie expressed

"Yes, we really should let you rest," Judy added.

"Sure, yeah, of course! Rest under that tree as long as you need and we'll be right here," Stu suggested. "Yes," Bonnie agreed.

Realizing my plan was working, as least for now, I gave a gentle smile and nodded them thank you. Hundreds of questions were flowing through their little bunny heads but they respected my current status and appeared patient enough to let me have my moment of respite. They really were a sweet family and I felt grateful to have come across them. I always enjoyed being with a family for having one seemed like a lost art in my world. Our civilization focused more on individualism and independence which led to many not caring or bothering to have families of their own. As a matter of fact, it helped lead to a sharp decline in our populations.

Tilting my head back against the tree to relax, I looked around the area to admire how incredibly vast it was. The carrot fields kept going til the ends of the valley and all appeared to be well kept and well preserved with a large hint of TLC. It appeared that other bunnies were out there in the distance, to till the rich soil of the massive fields, and the carrots, my goodness, the carrots were such a brilliant bright orange color that it seemed to light up the ground. It was so calming and peaceful I could get used to it.

Wide-open farms like these were discontinued in my world due to the space they occupied. Thus, most of our planet was filled with large, industrious buildings to fabricate technologies, weapons, ships, or even parts for large space structures on a massive scale. Despite our small population, all these projects took up space so the farms were eventually moved indoors, and produce was grown within artificial pods. Any other space leftover on Earth-77 fell into the uninhabitable zone category. Over the years, while things were getting worse on my planet, we sometimes joked that we might as well colonize Venus for the conditions there were only slightly worse. At least on Venus, you could tell the difference between night and day; but for Earth, night and day weren't too much different.

If our civilization were still alive, I could only imagine how they would extract the resources from this planet. The way they would harvest it, the condition they would leave it in, and the many generations destroyed because of their prideful intergalactic ambitions. A planet like this that is so rich in resources would be like a gemstone to our civilization. Unfortunately, it would end up like many other worlds before it. That very thought sent a chill down my spine.

Therefore, this is why we were destined to disappear. While I was still haunted about the past future, I was sure glad that the future past was no more. We had to go and I should have been gone with it, and yet, here I was.

While enjoying the tranquil setting, I could see the sky turning into a vibrant color similar to that of the carrots and it was quite a spectacle for me. For the three bunnies, since they have always lived here, they were likely used to it. The evening was quickly approaching and I looked over at the vegetable stand and could see them packing things up for the day. They were still looking at me here and there while waiting for me to make the next move. Sooner or later, I'd have to answer their questions, tell them the truth, and be honest with them because head injuries don't last forever.

Since I've been sitting for quite a while, I finally stood myself up without too much trouble and made a good body stretch. My legs were partially asleep but quickly regained blood circulation and I bent over to pick up my helmet and the water mug. As I made my way to the stand, Judy stopped what she was doing and ran halfway over to me. I handed over the mug and she curiously looked me over from toe to head.

"Wow, you really are tall! I'd say slightly taller than a bear," Judy giggled.

I gave her a slight dominant smile, took a quick look at the horizon, and looked back at her again. "I will probably get that a lot,"

Judy smiled and then we both looked out at the same horizon to see the sun beginning to settle. There was no pollution to spoil its beauty, the view was much like an oil painting, and we were both enjoying it.

"Judy?"

"Yes Cheribim?"

"Thanks again... for...for everything." 

"Of course!"

 _"_ You know, most people-- I mean, animals would run away from me in fear,"

"Really? Ha! They shouldn't be. As the saying goes, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

"...And bears!" Stu joked from the distance while loading the truck. Boy, those bunny ears are sure good for eavesdropping. 

"Oh, hush, dad!" Judy joked.

Honestly, though, Judy was indeed brave I thought. Back when my civilization visited other worlds, many inhabitants were intimidated by our military-grade suits. Most soldiers wore all black to add to that fear but even a white-colored suit such as mine could instill fear in someone. But not Judy. Despite her small size, she didn't allow it to be her weakness. Didn't she mention being an officer? A police officer? I decided to wait later before asking further about that.

With the sunlight shining greatly upon the entire valley, we spent a few seconds to take it all in, and then she turned to me. "So, do you have a place that you're going to?"

I pondered for a moment on what she meant by that. For the long term, I had no idea. In the short term, I also had no idea. My home was gone and there was nothing left of it. Most likely, I'd find a place away from the public to rest for the night. Essentially, my suit was sort of like my mobile home. It served as a shelter from the elements and was ideal protection. Once in a while, it got cold; but, it definitely kept and maintained the body temperature at steady levels, especially in harsh environments. Even with something basic like rain, the suit would keep me dry. The only offset was the constant sound of raindrops. The light ones weren't too bad, and more often than not, they'd soothe me into a deep sleep. But the heavy drops? My, those could get annoying.

I briefly looked at Judy, her eyes still on me, and then I stared back at the horizon.

"No... not exactly" I stammered. "I travel place to place. Not knowing where to go. I once had a direction until... things changed."

"Like what?"

" ...Well, It's like..."

Before I could finish, we were interrupted by the sound of a loud cracking of a car engine. We both looked over and could see Stu struggling to start the truck. It was a turquoise-colored, slightly rusted truck similar in style to the one I saw before at the carnival. However, it was smaller in size, had a more compact truck bed with farm tools in the back, and a strange-looking grill on the front. I quickly noticed that the grill had two large plates on the upper part, resembling bunny teeth while the headlights appeared to be its eyes. _Oh, of course, I mused_. That truck looks like an old rusty bunny.

The truck made a loud, harsh cracking sound again while Stu reattempted to start it. However, the engine continued to audibly cough and cough until it ran out of breath. Must be diesel fuel, I speculated. We haven't used those in centuries. Nuclear or cold fusion is where it's at. Though, it's probably not a thing here.

Judy and I both looked at each other and then at the truck. We unanimously got up and walked over next to Bonnie and Stu to see what the problematic was.

"Aw cripes! Not again!" Stu flustered "This little piece of rustic bucktooth doesn't want to start." 

"Oh Stu, language" Bonnie quietly rebuked.

Stu exited the truck cabin and popped open the truck's hood to reveal a small but standard engine that one would expect in most trucks. There were a few logos I was unfamiliar with but it all was, in principle, the same layout: there was a place for the spark plugs, the oil, the radiator, and everything else. Everything looked fine except for a head gasket that had a bit of white smoke trailing from it. Just like Subaru, I recalled, pardon the pun. They were good cars except for the older models that suffered multiple recalls due to defective gaskets. I can only imagine all the unique car models that exist in this world.

As Stu observed the engine, he turned his focus to us. Both Bonnie and Judy were standing in front of me and I was tall enough to cast a shadow silhouette upon the entire truck.

"Well heck, I'm sure I can get it fixed but... I left all my tools back at the house," Stu said while looking around aimlessly.

I looked out at the same horizon again to spot a house, saw a couple of structures here and there, but they all appeared to be barn houses. 

I turned back to Stu. "Is it far?"

"Not at all! It's about a 5-minute drive from here. However, walking is a different story, I mean, it'd be at least 20 minutes to get there. But walking back? Add another 20 minutes? With all those tools? Oh cripes, I don't know if I'm young enough to do that."

"It's okay." Judy soothed. "We'll think of something."

"It's already 6:00 pm," Bonnie added. "We'll have to do something quickly before the kids get all worried and hopped up. Also, we still have supper to prepare."

"Maybe we can call Uncle Terry," Judy suggested. "He doesn't live too far from here"

Bonnie placed her paw on Judy's back "Sweetie, Uncle Terry's out of town for the weekend. He left before you got here" "And no car has passed through here in a while," Stu observed. "At this time of the day, everyone has gone home."

"Hmm..." Judy considered. "And I don't suppose Nick will want to drive all the way out here with the police cruiser to tow it. We're just too far away from the city."

Silence took over while we were all thinking. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"What about AAA?" I asked.

The three bunnies stopped what they were doing and instantly looked up at me in great confusion. It was as if I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. I guess Triple-A wasn't a thing here. Realizing that my suggested option was just as nonexistent as my world, I looked down due to my indignity, shaking my head. I even placed my helmet back on to hide my face from shame. 

Just then, another sudden idea came to mind. " ...I could try to push the car."

The three bunny's ears perked up slightly while they tilted their small heads. The father Stu gave me a confused glance. "Do what now?"

"I can push the truck." I reiterated. "I can push the truck back to your home so that you can work on it."

"How the heck are you going to do that?" Stu wondered.

I simply rolled my eyes at him but they didn't see me doing it. 

"Well... by pushing it," I answered. "I can push your truck home so that you can work on it from there. That way, you don't have to haul your tools all the way out here."

"Really?" Bonnie asked effusively.

Judy's eyes grew wide open in relief: "Wait, you'd do that? For us?"

"Absolutely," I replied.

Bonnie looked over at Judy, then Stu, and then she looked back up at me with concern in her eyes. "But Cherry, aren't you tired?"

I squatted down to their level so they wouldn't have to keep arching their necks. The truck was quite small so there's no way it'd be heavier than a human smart car.

"Don't worry, it's fine," I said. "I'm feeling better now and you've been kind to let me rest here. Let me return the favor."

The three bunnies looked at each other, not knowing what to say. 

At that moment, I added with a gesture. " ...it'll be good exercise."

Both Judy and Bonnie smiled at each other and then looked at Stu for approval on my offer. Stu nodded at himself and then gazed upon me.

 _"_ Terrific!" Stu clapped his paws excitedly. "Everyone wins! Let's get the truck loaded."

It didn't take long before all the items were gathered together. Crates of different sizes were loaded here and there with vegetables, berries, and all kinds of other farm goods. They seemed pretty efficient at this and I admired how well they worked together as a family. Within just a few minutes, the stand was completely empty and devoid of products, since everything was loaded onto the truck. The stand itself was bare but the craftsmanship was well done and the paint was fresh as it ever could be.

The sun had gone down further in the horizon and was just about to touch the tops of the distant hills. While the three bunnies were finishing up with tightening and securing the crates in the truck bed, Bonnie, for some reason, started walking to the end of the crop field. Perhaps she forgot something, I guess. Immediately, she let out a loud whistle.

"Okay kids, let's all get in the truck! We're heading home!"

I didn't know who she was talking to so I looked where she was looking and, to my surprise, there were 3 more little bunnies running towards us from the open cornfield. They appeared to be children, ranging in age, height, and color. Wait, where did they come from? I asked myself. Were they really here this entire time? So much for being with the smallest group of creatures as I originally intended. As they came closer, Stu looked over his shoulder and cautioned them.

"Hey, kids! Remember as I said before! Don't you run through that Midnicampum holicithius!"

After he said that, the bunnies came to a complete stop. I noticed that there was a line of purple flowers in front of them, whatever those were. However, it appeared that they didn't necessarily stop because of the weird flowers; rather, they stopped because they saw me. The reaction they gave was about the same reaction I received earlier today. However, because I was standing next to their parents, they figured it was safe to come closer.

"Oh, don't mind him!" Stu declared. "He's just a friendly...um... polar bear."

Stu looked back and gave me a wink. I just tilted my head in submission and decided to embrace my temporal species until more got used to me. The kids approached our area and were cautious in doing so. My goodness, they were little and adorable, I'll admit. They were a fraction shorter than Bonnie and were quite nervous for never had they seen anyone like me, even if I was a polar bear. Two of them were girls and one was a boy. The shortest one, being a boy, had dark grey fur while the other two, being girls, had lighter colored fur.

"Hello," I greeted with a hand gesture, trying to be as friendly as possible.

The little girl, being bashful, backed up and quickly hid behind Bonnie. The older one was carefully and questionably looking me over while the smallest one, the boy with gray fur, hid behind Judy, also feeling shy.

"It's okay Jack," Judy comforted, crouching down to grip his paws. "He won't bite. He's really nice."

Judy slowly led him to me so I slowly crouched down to get to his level. Even then, I was still much taller than him so I tried getting down on my knees. Still tall but a little better. Jack's eyes were wide open and would not cease staring. I held out my hand in a relaxed position, palm up, and waited for him to come to me. Last time I did this, I had a soccer ball in my hand but not this time.

Judy and Jack stopped right in front of me, paused, then Judy turned to Jack and Jack looked at Judy. "Go right ahead," she whispered.

Judy gripped one of his paws and carefully placed it in my open palm. Judy flattened her paw in my hand next to Jack's paw and he gave her a thrilling look.

"There, you see? This is Cheribim. Look how big his paw is compared to mine and yours!"

Technically, it's a hand but that doesn't matter so I said nothing. I was kind of glad that I had my white gauntlets for it resembled the color of a polar bear, even though I didn't have any claws. In addition, the helmet was still equipped to cover my human face and give myself more of a polar bear-like appearance.

As Judy and Jack were admiring my armored hand, the other two small rabbits decided to join in. The middle one did come closer but was still shy and decided to stay behind Bonnie. Jack didn't say anything but he gave me short and shy smiles here and there while the older bunny was palpating my gauntlet, trying to figure out exactly what it was. Little did they know that the material consisted of over a billion nanoparticles but that topic would have to come later. Luckily, they supposed it was just a really hard type of skin such as rhino skin.

"How come you don't have any fur?" The older one questioned. 

"Don't need it." I declared.

She didn't seem satisfied with my answer but she also didn't ask anything else. If I'm not too careful, then an answer I give could lead to many more questions. After spending some extra time getting to know one another, I learned that the older one was named Hazel and the lighter colored one, the shy one, was named Luna. As we were wrapping up, Stu started clapping his paws.

 _"_ Alright everyone! Let's head home now. Looks like Cheribim's driving."

The three younger bunnies looked at me all frantic and then at the other three bunnies in shock, with mouths hanging wide open. They were thinking Stu was being serious but Judy approached them, laughing at the joke, and guided them to the truckside.

"Hop on in! Cheribim will actually be pushing us home! The car's not working well today."

Without question but with some hesitation, the three younglings entered the truck. Stu sat in the driver's seat, Bonnie was in the passenger seat, Luna and Jack sat on Bonnie's lap. Hazel sat atop a crate in the truck bed while Judy sat next to her. I carefully examined the truck to figure out the best way to push it and decided to place one hand near the center of mass at the bottom of the cabin with the other hand on top of the cabin to keep it steady. Getting in position, I could see Stu in the side view mirror giving me an approval nod while I then looked back at Judy.

"You ready?" she asked excitedly, giving me a thumbs up.

"Let's roll."

I carefully guided the truck towards the edge of the main road, with all the bunny passengers securely buckled in, and Stu pointed

out the direction. After looking both ways as far as I could, it was quite clear of any sign of traffic, I pushed us to the right side of the road, gave the truck another light push, and away we went. We were now traveling in the opposite direction from which I first came.


	5. Looks Like Home

We were on the road to who knows where but I trusted in my little fellow travelers. All of us were together, Stu, Bonnie, Judy, Jack, Hazel, Luna, and, of course, I, Cheribim. Lengthwise the roadway was quite a long stretch, going on forever but the width was no greater than a large sidewalk found back home. For the bunnies, the span was normal and felt more like a road to them than it did for me. Sometimes I felt like either I was growing bigger or the world around me was growing smaller.

As we approached the wide hills, the area itself now appeared to amplify while the road itself remained consistent. It was like an ocean of grass on both sides and every blade was illuminated as a golden-green color from the splendid sun that was about to fully set in the next 70 minutes.

As we pressed forward towards the sunset, I continued pushing the Hopp's family truck and it felt like pushing a little tike car with small passengers inside. Even though the truck was much heavier and had more heavy-duty wheels, it seemed to roll just as easily as a tike. The only hard part was having to crouch down a bit to properly position my hands and avoid crushing the cabin window. It got a little uncomfortable at times but being with a good company made all the discomfort completely negligible.

I looked down into the truck cabin and could see Stu relaxing with paws behind his head and his green carrot hat resting on top of the steering wheel. There was a sound of light country-sounding music emanating from the cabin and Bonnie was reading a carrot themed children's book with Jack and Luna on her lap. Once in a while, Jack or Luna would shoot a quick glance at me until Bonnie refocused their attention to the book.

Outside, in the back of the truck next to me, of course, was Hazel and Judy, both appearing to be enjoying the scenic ride and relaxing atmosphere atop the crates. Hazel was like most modern teens in my world, zoned out and fixated on her phone which wasn't a big deal because that's how many teens are. Even so, she would at least look around once in a while, sometimes at me, sometimes at Judy, most other times out in the distance, and try to notice things here and there. She was wearing small white headphones on the edges of her giant bunny ears which were connected to her small electronic device. If I had to venture a guess, she was probably listening to Hip-Hop.

Judy, with her handy notebook and fancy carrot pen, appeared to be doing a mini inventory check and was counting the number of items remaining in some of the crates. With such a small truck, there's no way she'd get to all the crates beneath her for there was no room to move them. Regardless, she at least got a head start. After closing one of the crate lids, she sat down, jotted some final notes, closed the notebook, and wedged it between two crates. She then removed her straw hat, placed it on the wooden tool frame, and looked up at me. I looked away, trying to stay focused on the road, but then I looked back at her because she was still observing me with a small smile. Realizing I was still wearing my helmet, I used one hand to keep pushing the truck while I used the other to remove the helmet.

Carefully gripping the edge of the helmet, I lightly placed it inside the truck bed between Judy and Hazel and noticed just how big it was compared to them. The helmet was about the same size as their torsos, and, despite its sheer size, at least the bunnies had bigger eyes than I or the helmet did. Judy surveyed the helmet, turned the front to face her, and admired the detailed exterior.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, It sure looks intimidating for a work helmet!" Judy commented. "But I sure commend the design though. It sort of reminds me of an astronaut,"

"It didn't seem to phase you at the time,"

"Oh, believe me, I didn't know what to think at first! But I've learned over my career to not judge a book by its cover. Sometimes, we just don't know others as good as we think we do."

"True, that is true."

Judy continued to examine the helmet and did a side by side comparison between my face and the helmet's face. While doing this, Hazel didn't actually notice my helmet was removed until Judy moved it in closer. Hazel then turned her head, looked at my helmet, looked back at her phone, and then rapidly shot a stare back at the helmet in amazement. She gasped at my alien-looking face and turned towards Judy in shock.

Whoops, I thought. Judy and I remembered that not everyone saw my real face back at the vegetable stand. Hazel steadily lifted up her phone and positioned it to take a picture but Judy was quick to stop her by placing a paw on her phone and gently setting it down. While I continued to push the car, Judy cupped her paws around Hazel's ears and started whispering to her.

 _"_ Is that really...his face?!" Hazel quietly mumbled to Judy.

It looked like Judy was doing her best at explaining everything and Hazel just kept nodding her head in agreement. What a good sister! Helping another sibling to make sure she doesn't look at a stranger the wrong way. It's unknown what Judy said to her but it seemed to help keep Hazel steady and not freak out anymore. The young teenage bunny would still give me small strange looks but at least she didn't barrage me with questions and slowly accustomed to my true face.

As things mellowed out, we came to a smooth corner of the road and began to turn left, away from the sun, and towards a large group of hills packed together. From here, they were like green waves crashing into each other and kept extending beyond the horizon while the road seemed to weave its way between them.

"You're doing great Cherry!" Stu called from the driver's seat. "Just keep pushing and I'll tell you when to turn,"

"Got it."

Stu rolled his window back up and I once again continued to push the farm truck down the road. The route wasn't so straight anymore for we were coming into a series of hills that made the road weave around a little bit. If I had to guess, we were probably halfway there and I was curious as to what the destination would be like. Hopefully, it was not just some giant rabbit hole/cave in the dirt.

Judy stood up from her spot and sat closer to the back of the truck while Hazel continued to play on her phone. Judy leaned back slightly, enjoying the light gentle breeze and closed her eyes to meditate. The truck was still moving and I began walking faster down the roadway to see if I could get ourselves moving quicker to reach the destination before it got dark. After a quick but uncomfortable short burst of speed, I slowed down a bit but kept the vehicle moving at a consistent and steady pace. Judy was still sitting down on the truck bed door, still holding on, leaned back, and enjoying the moment. Indeed, the entire area was quite peaceful, and hardly any other cars passed by us.

I nodded in satisfaction. "It's beautiful," 

Judy didn't say anything. Her eyes were still closed. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, had a warm smile, and turned towards me.

"...It really is ...Even though I was born and raised here, I don't get to come out here that much. I'm always working in the city and was lucky enough to get this weekend off. In two days, it's back to work so I'm going to absorb as much as I can."

"You're an officer, is that right?

"Yep, the first bunny officer too! My partner and I both work in the great city of Zootopia." "Zootopia?"

"Yes! Surely you've heard of it! It's just two-hundred and eleven miles away." 

"I'm sorry Judy, but... I'm unfamiliar with that particular city."

"What?! You're telling me you've never heard of Zootopia? It's the best city! You really haven't been there?" 

I shook my head. "No, I mean, I've been to places like New York and Hong Kong..."

She tilted her head in confusion.

"...is it similar to that?" I asked.

"Oh, Cheribim, I don't know such places. Those names... they sound really uncommon" 

"Now you know how I feel."

"Ha, I suppose so. But still! Zootopia is one of the most talked-about places. It sounds like you really do come from a place far from here."

"That's right."

Suddenly, for some reason, I felt the truck becoming harder and harder to push. It was as if it got heavier or maybe I was just getting weaker. It got to a point where the truck's wheels wouldn't roll at all and I was worried that they were locking up for good. Great. Now it'll take forever to get these bunnies home. Judy looked around, peaked her head over the edge of the truck, and was looking at the locked up tires. She went to the other side of the truck, did the same thing, and then she went over to the back cabin window and started to lightly tap on the glass.

"Dad! You're stepping on the brakes again! Take your foot off the pedal."

Stu rolls down the driver's window and pops his head out while giving himself a facepalm. "Whoops, my bad! Sorry about that everyone! Sorry Cherry!"

"All good Stu." As I lightly chuckled to myself in relief. I'm thankful there weren't any locked axils and thank goodness Judy knew what was off.

Finally, we were able to get the car moving again and then I could hear another car approaching from the distance in front of us. Without hesitation, I gestured Judy to slide the helmet towards me and I placed it on my head before the car came into view while also pulling the brown hood over my helmet as an extra precaution. I figured that for whoever was in the other car, it'd be better for them to see me covered up instead of seeing my human face.

Thinking it would be more bunnies, the large car came into view and was much bigger than I had anticipated. The car's make was unfamiliar but similar in style to a large SUV. The driver was...a moose? Of course, another one with cupholder hands. The other two passengers appeared to be a white wolf and a white...fox? I turned my head to avoid eye contact and one of them rolled their window down as they were driving past us.

"Hey freak! Go back to Tundra Town and get yourself a real job!"

"Yeah, your mother called! She wants her brown scarf back!"

As they blurted out those so-called insults, the arctic fox chucked a big orange straight at my chest, splattering it all over, they floored it away and we could hear them laughing their heads/tails off. I couldn't tell who said what but it didn't matter for they were long gone and out of our sight. An orange? It made me think of that Napoleon Dynamite movie where Napoleon throws an orange at Uncle Rico. Only this time, a fox literally threw one at me.

Judy then came over to me to make sure I was okay. Since she was standing in the back of the truck, her height was now just below my chest level so she reached for a cloth and started wiping away the shattered pieces of orange. I stopped pushing the truck for a moment so that she could clear the mess.

"Cherry, I'm so sorry! Don't worry about those guys. They don't know what they're doing," 

I shrugged. "They have my pity,"

This was the first time I had come across impertinent creatures on this planet. Everyone else seemed sweet, innocent, and polite until those three came along. Either way, It would've happened sooner or later so it's best to face reality now. Those bullies reminded me of the ones from my world who had nothing else to do except to pick on others and make them feel less worthy. No matter, I didn't let it bother me and Judy's presence made things better. Judy's parents even checked on us to make sure we were okay but we gave them a thumbs up. Then, I once again resumed pushing the car.

"You know, I think you look better without your mask on. However, if you're planning to visit Zootopia, then your helmet would make a good disguise."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely! It seemed to work with those three animals back there. At the ZPD, many of our officers wear disguises while working undercover. What you have on could make a great one! Though, it could definitely use some modifications to blend in better."

"Modifications?"

"Just a few small ones that I really think could sell it. Some of my brothers and sisters at home are good at costume making and I'm sure they could help us modify your work uniform to blend in better. That way, you don't have to worry about feeling out of place. You can be a polar bear or whichever animal floats your tail."

"...Hmm... I'd prefer to not modify the armor, err, work uniform but I might not have much of a choice. So...you have more brothers and sisters at home?"

"Yes! I have so many! We're a big family!"

As I kept pushing the truck, I was initially thinking that all of Judy's family was here but I was wrong. Apparently, there's a couple more at home. Fine. While I didn't want to get involved with meeting too many animals, I already knew Judy well enough that it shouldn't hurt to get to know a few more.

"Wait, so I thought you just had three siblings? Hazel, Jack, and Luna"

 _"_ Ha ha ho... No! Actually, I have many more."

"Let me guess, there's ten of you?"

"Nope!"

"Fifteen?"

"Nope!"

"Twenty-seven?" 

"Nope!"

"Forty?"

"Keep guessing." 

I sighed. "...Fifty?"

"Nope!"

"Seventy!?"

Judy simply sat there, shook her little head, kept smiling, while trying to control her joy and laughter. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and it was making me tense up big time. Perhaps this was only a joke, I considered. It had to be. I'm sure it was because, in my former world, hardly anyone would ever go past having more than 12 kids. Nevertheless, I had a hunch that she wasn't putting up an act.

"Okay, Judy. How many?"

"Try 275!"

"What?! 275?! " "Yep!"

"You have 275 brothers and sisters!?"

"Oh yeah! As I said, we're a big family."

"Holy, That. Is. Crazy."

"Mm-hm, we get that a lot but that's how most families are here."

"Wow. So you, Hazel, Jack, and Luna make 275."

"...And that's nothing compared to Uncle Abbot," Hazel interpolated. "Last month, he surpassed over 300... ...so... yeah... ...Welcome to Bunnyburrows!"

With a suppressed grin, Judy steadily nodded in agreement and I peered over at Hazel to see if she was serious and, sure thing, she was. I discreetly shook my head in disbelief and kept pushing the car down the paved thoroughfare.

"...Holy Cow," I muttered.

One of Hazel's ears lifted. "Holy what?"

"Nevermind"

We came to a gradual turn and the road continued to wind beyond the hills. On all sides, we surrounded by large patches of farm fields that were well ordered and well maintained. There were a few bunnies here and there that were spread out among the fields while some were heading home for the day. As I propelled the car further, the driver's window started rolling down, Stu stuck his head out the window and looked back at us.

"You'll turn left, right about here Cherry!" As Stu pointed left.

I stopped the vehicle and looked to my left. Sure enough, there was a well-paved dirt road that led further into the hills with a variety of scattered oak trees. In the distance, there appeared to be residential homes but it was hard to tell from here since many were slightly tucked in behind the hillocks. The truck was repositioned, we exited the paved road and began moving down it. The ground was much softer than before and it also felt like walking along on a soft carpet without any dust clouds forming.

"Five more minutes! We're almost home."

"Finally!" Hazel sighed. "Jack and Luna have really worn me out today"

Remembering how large and spacious the carrot field was, I could imagine how tired Hazel must've felt. She probably did run throughout the entire area multiple times while making sure her little siblings didn't wander too far. Today, I likewise roamed a giant carrot field except that I was desperately chasing after water until it suddenly hopped away. Thankfully, the Hopp's family was able to hop it back to me.

 _"_ So Cheribim," Judy called while resting her head in her paw. "What do you do for a living?" "Well...," I pondered. "I used to be... a um... data scientist."

"Wow, really? Tell me about it."

For a bit, I hesitated, trying to think of how to explain things in Layman's terms without revealing the fact that I came from a different universe.

"We all worked in a laboratory. I was one of the assistants. Basically, we'd study the observable universe and try to better understand it..."

Judy nodded and gestured me to continue.

"...My role was to gather knowledge, dissect it, extract it, and analyze the overall phenomena within the data. Thus, the goal was to help provide the 'Big Picture' of what was occurring beyond the boundaries of Earth..."

"Interesting! What did you find?"

"We found many things. To name a few, we detected multiple solar flares from the sun, rouge chaos energy, incoming asteroids the size of Mt. Everest, and..."

"Everest?" Judy cut in.

"Right, the tallest mountain on Earth." "Never heard of it."

"Oh..."

 _"_...But anyhow! Keep going!"

"Yeah, so we'd study these and other events occurring beyond the perimeter of Earth, build models, make hypotheses, and ensure that none of them would threaten our home. If something peculiar showed up, we'd be sure to take action. Thus, we were a bit like a planetary police force... in a way. Practically, we were like geeks which is why I think you and no one else knows about us..."

Judy giggled and then jokingly looked up at me.

"...Thus, we'd keep our eyes on the sky and make sure that nothing or no one would enter our planetary system." "Wait, did you say no one?" Judy asked.

"Nothing. I meant to say nothing." I quickly reiterated.

"And I assume that's why we've never seen animals like you before? I guess you guys are too busy making calculations and doing lots of math. Ha! I like math and admit that I'm pretty good with the basics, especially for a dumb bunny. After all, we are good at multiplying!"

As I carefully shoved the truck through a road ditch, I tried my best to hold in the laughter.

"...But still, some things just don't add up." Judy continued. "I mean, it's crazy that I've never seen or heard of your species 'human' before; And then, all of a sudden, I'm meeting someone like you for the first time. In addition, I've never even heard of your

workgroup before. Maybe I'm just a hare out of line? No bunny knows. Also, about the armor you're wearing. Could you tell me what it's for?"

"Aside from being a makeshift disguise, I wore it at work all the time. The...um... experiments that we did were quite... well... precarious. We worked with chemicals, liquids, and other lab hazards that required a suit. Practically, it's multiuse for the lab but even outside of the job."

Judy didn't seem convinced by my answer and continued to give a steady gaze.

"...But as a police officer, such as yourself..." I added. "Doesn't your department also wear a multipurpose uniform? Surely everyone keeps extra gear on them in case a specific situation arises. "

She thought for a moment and came to a slight realization.

"True, I suppose you're right. After all, it is Zootopia and we never know what we'll run into! But still... your armor seems to be military-grade. I did feel the surface earlier..."

Judy stands up next to me and lifts one of her paws. "May I?"

"Go ahead." I directed while pushing the car over a wooden bridge.

Judy rubbed her small bunny paw across the armor surface and noticed the mini patterns that formed around the forearm. She would soon realize how smooth nanoparticles form shapes, how hard of a surface they form while still allowing the user free movement from within the armor. I knew the 'military-grade' factor wouldn't make sense in a lab but I couldn't just tell her about all the wars that my former world was plagued with. It was not the right time so I decided to answer her questions as carefully as I could.

"Interesting..." She commented with amazement. "I've never seen any material like this. What kind is it and... did... did you make it?"

"Yes, and it took years to achieve such surface integrity. The list of materials is quite... well... comprehensive. Lots of alloys. It's reasonably comfortable too which is why... I often wear it outside of work."

"Oh, I see. That's... That's really cool."

She sat back in the truck and kept pondering while I pushed the vehicle up a steep incline. When she seemed to have another question in mind, she stopped herself and decided to not ask further. Honestly, I didn't mind her questions for she had every right to be curious and they were good questions. I felt bad because there was so much I could say but how could I say it? This could change everything in her life and everyone else's life if the full truth got out.

Preferably, it's best to keep things gradual. Since I'm stuck here on this world, I'll have to confess at some point and hopefully, that won't happen for a while. All my life I've lived in constant fear of the near future and our civilization has learned to embrace and overcome it while maintaining a clean track record. However, our methods didn't last forever for we inevitably overstepped our time

bounds and met our ultimate demise. For the sake of this world, it would be best to keep within the bounds but I had a feeling that it couldn't be done alone.

Finally reaching the hill's summit, we came to a grand view that was unlike any other. "Ah, home at last! This never gets old." Judy cheered while doing a rainbow stretch. "I know, right?" Hazel commented.

The valley before us was vast, hilly, full of family-sized crop fields, speckled with thick oak trees, had a calming stream, and dotted with many wooden homes. My first impression was that we were entering Hobbitville or the Shire because all the houses were tucked into the hills; However, one big difference here is that a portion of the home was built inside the hill while another large portion was built outside the hill and both portions appeared to be connected. This I knew because the hills themselves had small individual window sills scattered throughout.

My, if those houses extended within the hills, imagine how large the interior could be. With over 270 brothers and sisters, it would have to be massive. This area wasn't just some giant rabbit hole in the dirt; Rather, it was a well-organized modern family network.

We descended down the hill and I carefully gripped the cabin to ensure the truck wouldn't roll with gravity. The homes were finally coming to a clearer view and many were well lit as the sun shone its brilliant light upon them while preparing to set for the day. We were a couple of yards away, about 77 yards, away from the nearest house. Most of the frontal homesteads were similar in design with a few variations between them. All houses had plenty of windows, pink wood all over, small pieces of stained redwood, frontal white arches lined with inner white arches, spacious front porches, well-kept gardens, and rounded maple wooden front doors. However, there were a few dwellings that differed from others such as having bunny ears attached to the roof, lightning rods, bright red shingles, interwoven metallic railings with a bunny head design, and even carrot lights. Why not, I figured.

The overall setting was quite nice but it did feel like being on set for a kid's movie, or a PG-rated movie. Everything seemed so family-friendly, well-kept, original, tight-knitted, and family-oriented. This was quite a contrast to my universe when compared to all the homes found on my former planet. In our time, everybody lived on their own, and the more space you had between each other, the better it was considered. Even the wealthy didn't settle for a big home and preferred to go extreme by purchasing their own planet, often artificial, and allow no one to trespass there.

I remembered 27 months before the dimensional collapse, the planet Mars was on the market for quite some time until a retired private military contractor purchased it with an astronomical amount of 37 quintillion units with Phobos and Deimos included. Receiving an invitation to visit someone's home was rare to never since most people preferred to be left alone and completely undisturbed. I thought 6 feet was bad enough but many seemed to mandate a 6-kilometer social distance with severe repression awaiting those who wouldn't comply. Thus, finding someone to trust was hard, life was a cold reality, and no one really cared. Once in a while, we would come together, especially for urgent work matters, but only when it was absolutely necessary.

Going from a simulated Earth life, filled with love, joy, and close family, and then abruptly waking up in a cold, dark future was extremely punishing on my soul. It all felt so backward. The nightmare was supposed to be a bad dream, as any mother would say, but I was awake the whole time. I tried learning to embrace it, mold myself into it, be the best data scientist I could, but I was barely holding on. The great collapse, as frightening as it was, became the only one-way ticket out. In other words, being back at home in my previous world felt like being on set for a rated-R movie.

Thus, here I am now, on this new Earth, hoping and praying that none of it is a dream. Being with a family of talking bunnies was much crazier than I had ever anticipated. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

I inched the truck closer to the first home and we were about 7 yards from the white picket fence. All the doors were miniature, even the windows, but they were well fit for the average bunny. While each specific house feature was small, the overall house itself was not small. It was still quite big and the height was greater than my own. Arching my neck and slowly walking the truck to get a better angle, the house was almost three times my height, about two stories, which would equate to maybe seven stories or less for a bunny.

After a quick glance, I couldn't help but notice the ornate designs spreading along with the outside door frames and window sills. They were all hand/paw crafted and helped give this residence a warm welcoming appearance that I hadn't seen in years.

I stopped pushing the car and looked to Judy. "Is this your house?"

"Not quite! This is uncle Abbot's house but our house is right down there." "Sooo close!" Hazel added.

Judy pointed further down the dirt road with her paw and she must've been referring to the house that was situated upon the middle hill of the valley. It looked just as splendid as the one here next to us except that her house had giant bunny ears on top with each ear appearing to be about the size as a large surfboard. In addition, there was a medium-sized garage adjacent to the house on the right side with an architecture patterned after the house itself, along with a few extra oak trees whose branches were lightly resting on part of the roof's edges. Towards the back of the hill, was an impressive and massive looking tree that was about a third the size of the hill itself. I must say, it was probably the largest oak tree I've seen on this planet so far.

With caution and getting tired, I steadily pushed the truck over the last wooden bridge in the road and we finally made it to the front of the house. My goodness, the house was truly magnificent. It was simple and yet seemed like a lovely place to raise a large family of bunnies. I was going to head for the garage but instead, Stu gestured me to park the truck in an open dirt road patch across the front door.

Finally coming to a complete stop, everyone immediately hopped out of the truck with gladness in their hearts. Hazel, Jack, and Luna skipped excitedly around the area, Bonnie and Stu were doing small upper body stretches of relief, and Judy happily exhaled upon the sight of being back home. It was nice to see the bunny family all content so I just leaned on the roof of the truck cabin to relax, not saying a word, and just listened.

"We're home at last!" "Yay!"

"We made it!" 

"Can't wait to rest!"

"Me too."

"Anyone starving?" "I sure am!"

"Race you inside!"

"Last one there is a baby sloth!" "Oh, you're on!'

The three young bunnies hurriedly ran towards the front door and I could see other little bunnies open the door for them on the inside. Looks like there are indeed more of them. I scanned around the hill where the house was and could see young little bunnies scattered throughout and most were playing games, doing art crafts, or rolling down the hill. Just then, I felt a little paw tap my forearm and sure enough, it was Judy with her familiar bright smile.

"Cheribim, thank you so much! You are awesome!"

Judy puts her paw into a fist and gestures me into doing a fist bump by which I gladly return, albeit, with prudence. She still marveled at how large my fist was and one thing I noticed is that I had five fingers while she only had four. She then hopped out of the truck and ran towards her siblings and embraced them with a wide, tight hug that lifted them from the ground. There was another bunny, smaller than the rest that had a cream-colored fur with large green eyes. Her outfit consisted of a pink dress with a blue bodice sporting a pink star and a pink skirt. She happily approached Judy with arms flung open and Judy swiftly embraced her in one movement, picked her up off the ground, and tightly held her close to her face in an affectionate way.

"Ohhh Cotton! How I've missed you! How's my favorite niece doing?"

I couldn't hear what that little bunny named Cotton was saying but she appeared to be whispering something into Judy's ear. The other kids were all so happy to see Judy and she was pretty good at giving them all equal amounts of attention. She was quite the popular older sister in the Hopp's family and it was evident that the amount of love they had for her was remarkable. I tried to count how many bunnies were outside around her but lost count when I got into the thirties range and beyond.

Some of the bunny siblings started to take notice of me but I kept my helmet on and was already positioned on the side of the truck away from the house so that it'd be harder to see me. I tried to be as casual as possible and even gave a little short wave to hopefully appear friendly. Luckily, Judy did well to keep them distracted and occupied before they got too curious and she started to lead some of them back towards the hill and into the house. It's almost like she was herding sheep while doing an exceptional job at it.

To the side, I could see Bonnie and Stu unloading the crates and storing them in a shed close to the garage. I tried to help a little by pushing crates to the edge of the truckbed and grabbing the ones that were tucked in the hard to reach corners near the cabin. As they were coming back for the last couple of crates, a group of about 10 small bunnies rushed in to welcome their parents home.

My, they were pretty cute. Then, 5 or 7 more came in from behind them. Where do Bonnie and Stu keep all these bunnies? I wondered. Each of the tiny bunnies had a wide range of unique colors from Gray to Gold to Brown to Cream to Pale yellow to Black to White and to Lavender. Each one grabbed Bonnie and Stu's legs while they were trying to walk and some of them even attempted to climb on top of their heads.

Notwithstanding, Bonnie and Stu continued to unload all the crates and I admired how much backup energy they had remaining to carry on. They seemed to be getting quite old for this but their faces were still lit with joy and they were sure glad to see their children.

With a handful of bunnies cupped into their arms while one or two were climbing around their heads, Bonnie and Stu made their way towards me.

"Cheribim, once again, we can't thank you enough for pushing our truck all the way back home!"

"Yeah, you really saved us a ton of time. The whole evening in fact! If it weren't for your polar bear strength, we'd still be back at the farm patch."

"Oh, yes, that's right, Stu. It tires me to even think about it."

I looked at both Bonnie and Stu and gave them both a happy nod. "Glad I could help."

At that moment, I felt my brown cloak get caught on something from behind but couldn't tell what it was. I checked to make sure I wasn't accidentally stepping on my cloak and tried to find where on the truck my cloak was getting stuck on. The cloak started to tug once more but there was no telling where on the truck it was getting caught on. After a few seconds of confusion, I felt something climb up my back and, of course, it was one of the little bunnies. He was about a toddler, had big wide brown eyes with a green T-shirt and shorts, and climbed up to my shoulder and stared into the blue eyes of my helmet.

Surprisingly, he didn't seem at all scared and was perhaps too young to know what I was. He continuously climbed around my back and looked around for anything of interest. To make sure he didn't fall I cupped my hands around his little body and carefully grabbed him around the waist, trying my best to do so softly. I gently lifted him up and slowly brought him down to lower chest height.

"Oh Charles, you know better than that..." as Bonnie raised her arms up to receive him.

"Charles" I reaffirmed, looking into his brown bunny eyes before bending down to hand him back to Bonnie.

"Yeah, he's quite the climber, always climbing where he shouldn't be," Stu chuckled. "It's too bad carrots don't grow on trees, otherwise, he'd make a great carrot farmer."

"Mm-hm, maybe one day." Bonnie smiled while pulling Jack into a loving embrace.

Stu came closer to Bonnie and helped take a few bunnies off her legs. While doing so, he intently studied the truck. "We'll get this rustic tin can all fixed up and running by tomorrow morning, first thing. But for now, I'm starving!"

"Oh, Yes! That's right! The kids must be getting pretty hungry. Tonight I'm fixing everyone's favorite!"

"See? That's what I'm talking about!" Stu cheered. "There's nothing wrong with having the best! Oh, look! Here they come!"

He turned around and another group of bunnies came running out the front door and fastly approached both Bonnie and Stu. Some of them jumped, others slid, while the rest ran into their parents at full speed and tightly clutched onto their legs. There were so many bunnies that I almost couldn't see Bonnie and Stu. My, they were sure wild. Bonnie and Stu were still happy as can be to

see them and gave them all much-desired love and undivided attention. I could tell Judy was raised well by her parents.

Bonnie and Stu were trying to make their way towards the front door of the house and were laughing at how much trouble they were having while walking. At least for Stu, he had two bunnies anchored on each leg, a few on his arms, one on his head, and a couple more trying to climb aboard. As for Bonnie, she was barely visible and I smiled at how much those bunnies loved their parents.

My smile though was unlike any smile I've had before in a long while. It was a legit, natural smile and it was something that I hadn't expressed since my simulated life. It felt both natural and unnatural for me to smile the way I did but the amount of joy at this scene was above and beyond. This was a really good family.

"Hazel, Thomas, Bella?" Bonnie called out. "We sure could use some help over here!" "Oh yeah!" Stu agreed while chuckling. "You might have to come and rescue us!" "We're coming!" an unknown voice responded.

"Ha! We'll meet you halfway!" Bonnie laughed.

Bonnie and Stu managed to make it to the porch stairs and I saw the front door open again. Already, I could see a multitude of bunny heads poking out their heads from the sides. A gray furred bunny emerged from the doorway to help Bonnie and Stu out. He appeared to be in his teens and was wearing black pants and a tan shirt. Right behind him, there was another bunny of lighter color who also helped the parents get some slack and she was likely a young teenager.

The front door remained open but most of the bunnies were inside by now. From here, I could see the room behind the doorway was well lit and the parents were busy embracing the other young bunnies, including the teens themselves who gave side hugs.

I continued standing there, watching the front of the house, and processing the variety of thoughts flowing through my head. Beneath the mask, a wide but closed smile came to my face and I kept shaking my head in disbelief. I looked down at the ground with my forehead resting on my arms. This has to be a dream, I reasoned. It's gotta be. None of this was real. It's just... too good to be true.

In my world, the simulation chambers served that very purpose: to provide a reasonable and realistic environment by which we could experience joy. Our world was filled with immeasurable stress and neverending feelings of emptiness despite our proudest achievements. We had the most advanced medicine, we've cured cancer, we've built artificial worlds, we had access to the largest knowledge database in the universe, we practically had unlimited energy, and we had access to the most striking visuals of the galaxy.

However, none of that really mattered. We were missing something. We lost focus on what mattered most. We were lost.

A small tear came to my eye but I couldn't wipe it. I tried to but my helmet was in the way. Regardless, I kept thinking. My mind was racing back and forth as if I were jumping between past, present, and future so I started to pace down the road. I walked down the road further and gazed beyond the hills to see the stars out, bright, and in full glory. It looked beautiful as I remembered it before but then my head sunk and my eyes were back towards the ground.

I felt like I was out of place, particularly with my mind. It was as if I were standing on the firm ground until a crack opened up the Earth below me until it turned into a ravine. My legs were beginning to spread and I tried to keep a boot on each side but the ravine was growing bigger and bigger until I could feel myself falling.

Of course, this was all going through my head. I placed my hands on my head, closed my eyes as tightly as I could, and tried to let the storm pass. Finally, the internal storm occurring around my mind was slowly starting to dissipate. Everything was now calm but I still felt like the wind was knocked out of me. My head began to lightly throb so I decided to walk down the dirt road and hopefully shake it off.

Each step I took was small but it seemed to gradually shake off the pain. A couple of paces later, I was further down the dirt road and about 27 feet from the truck. I looked around the valley and everything was so calm and even the crickets were chirping. The breeze was light but I could hear the grass blades waving in the air and the top of the sun had barely disappeared from view. It was getting dark but the stars were still out, twinkling, and beaming before my eyes.

The panorama was nice so I simply stood there and kept looking beyond. It was much like a 1000-yard stare or even a 1000-lightyear stare.

On the dirt road, there was a soft sound approaching that was nearly inaudible at first but was getting closer and closer. The sound became a low thumping sound and then it became a sound of soft footsteps. There was another bunny approaching from behind and the sound eventually split into two.

I turned around and could see that it was actually two familiar bunnies jogging towards me. It was Hazel and Judy. "Cheribim, Wait!" Judy called.

"Wait up!" Hazel followed from behind.

It was nice to see two familiar faces so I instinctively pulled off my helmet, since both have already seen me, and held it to my side. I smiled and gave one upward nod.

"Hey"

They both caught up and stood directly in front of me. Hazel had her arms folded and Judy leaned on one hip with a paw on the other. Looks like both have changed into more casual outfits since both were wearing black leggings while Judy wore a tank top with a t-shirt over it while Hazel was wearing a purple shirt.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Judy asked

"Yeah, we've been looking all over for you." "Oh, nowhere really," I answered

"But what are you doing out here?"

"...Just... thinking. Thinking about where to go,"

"But it's getting dark. You won't have any daylight to get anywhere! Besides, we wanted to invite you to dinner with us." 

"Really?"

"Of course! You helped us a ton today and we wanted to share our gratitude," "Oh, no, I'm okay...really. That's very kind of you."

"Please Cheribim."

"Yeah, you can't just walk off on us like that. After all, we've been through today. Stay for dinner or else my mom might take offense to it."

"Please, please! We'd love to have you."

I pondered their offer and it seemed wise to accept it. My stomach was indeed growling for I had not eaten for the space of many days and nano-particle food never tasted good anyway so it's best that I don't use up the reserve. After all, I'm not in space anymore.

"That would be great..." I stammered. 

"Yay!" They cheered.

"See Hazel? I knew we could talk some sense into him!"

"Oh, of course, Jude-the-dude. Just another one of your 'hustles'..." "C'mon, let's get inside quick before they send a search party"

"Yes, let's!"

Hazel and Judy took off running but quickly stopped in their tracks and noticed that I wasn't moving or following them. The only moving thing that was moving me was their immense kindness. They both glanced at each other, ran back, each grabbed one of my giant gauntlet fingers on my left arm, and started to pull me towards the house in which I finally followed.

"C'mon slowpoke, don't be shy."

"His paws are huge!" Hazel gasped.

"They sure are! But I've seen bigger in Zootopia."

"I wonder what they look like underneath"

Judy looked back at me with a smile that quickly turned into a concerned frown for she noticed something was off. "Cherry, are.. are you okay? Your eye...I see a tear mark in it."

She pointed to the bottom of my right eye and I remembered that it was from earlier when I was in deep emotional thought and forgot to wipe it. I rarely tear up much but when I do, it's usually a single drop only.

"Oh, it's... it's nothing." I mumbled, "... a little something in my eye is all."

"You'll feel much better once you try my mother's special! C'mon, let's head inside." 

"And don't forget to duck!" Hazel advised.

The two bunnies already had me ducking anyway as they pulled me towards the front of the house. I stared at the front and noticed that the main entrance was below my waist so I'd definitely have to crawl through to enter. It might look strange but they insisted anyway.

We had just reached the porch stairs and then Judy abruptly stopped in her tracks with Hazel doing the same.

"Oh, and one more thing!" Judy said turning to face me. "You might want to leave your mask on for this one, just in case. At least until my brothers and sisters get used to you."

"...Right." I nodded in agreement.

The helmet was propped under my right arm, I gripped it with both hands, looked into its eyes, and then placed it on my head with the nano-particles automatically forming a seal around the neck.

"How do I look?"

Both carefully examined my entire suit of armor.

"It could use some more work but it'll do for now! We'll have plenty of help afterward." "Oh, It'll be exciting, for sure," Hazel commented.

Hopefully, the bunnies wouldn't go too far with the crafts and disguises as I was imagining. Either way, I felt I could trust them and that I should trust them. Judy was about to open the large oak door but I gently raised a hand in front of me as a signal to wait and they stopped to turn around.

"Judy... Hazel... Thank you..."

Both looked up, smiled, and then proceeded with opening the front door. I had to get on all fours and noticed the purple welcome mat that simply said 'Welcome' in all carrot letters. Inching my way forward, I could see what looked like a lobby/foyer and carefully made my way inside.

"Don't worry, the front room should be tall enough for you to stand," Hazel commented from behind.

"I'm not too big?"

"Positive. Almost every room is a double-decker"

I finally made it into the room and was also welcomed by a fresh scent of lavender and light pink colored walls. There was a beautifully carved table situated in the center of the circular lobby with multiple family pictures. After slowly standing up, my head accidentally tapped a glass carrot-looking chandelier by which I was fortunate enough to not break. It was about the size of Stu and would've been quite a mess to clean up had it shattered. My head nearly tapped the ceiling so I only had to adjust my knees in a slightly bent way to stand up straight. However, as I looked around, I noticed the doorways to the other rooms would require crawling, perhaps a bit lower clearance than the front door.

The house interior reminded me of something straight from Dr. Seuss's classical children's books because the walls were all mainly bright pink in color with a little dark pink trim that resembled frosting on a cake. The trim was on top of rails, ledges, frames, and even a couple of places on the floor. By and by I realized that the light pink on the walls matched the bunnies ears and some of the entryways to other rooms in the house even had delicate arches on top that were in the shape of bunny ears. If one were to apply yellow paint to the tops of those arches, you'd get a Mcdonald's looking entrance, which is the name of a restaurant that went out of business centries ago in my world.

There were about 7 other doorways connected to the front lobby, including the front door, and all other passages led to other parts of the house which I couldn't see well for I was too tall and at an awkward angle. Nevertheless, it was quite clear that this house

had a vast network of rooms that made the house at least three times larger on the inside than outside because many voices, young and old, were echoing throughout the halls. Some voices were amplified while others were muffled and the entire house felt full of unbridled energy. Overall, the feeling inside was relaxing, calming, and even stress-free from the outside worries of the world.

Judy came in from behind me, placed herself middle and center between me and the main table. She did a 180 pivot to face me and placed both paws together.

"Welcome to the Hopps family home! Please make yourself comfortable and we'll have dinner ready shortly! Would you like some water or anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thank you."

On the table behind her, there were a couple of family pictures resting atop a rounded pink table runner and I couldn't help but look at them. There were about twenty of them, all different, and seemed to fall under different categories but I couldn't tell. I browsed through them until I saw one with a familiar face, namely Judy. After taking a step towards the table, I pointed at the one I was looking at.

"Is that...you?

"Yep, sure is!" Judy proudly said. "My partner Nick always makes fun of my pose, haha." "May I?"

"Sure!"

She carefully handed me the picture-frame and I noticed more members of the Hopps family, such as Stu, Bonnie, Judy's niece, and Jack were in the portrait but couldn't tell whether Hazel and Luna were in there or not. Chances are, they were probably in one of the other pictures on the table.

"Wait, so does everyone live here or in separate houses?"

"Heavens no! Me, my mom, my dad, and all 275 of my brothers and sisters all live here under the same hill. Crazy, right? "Quite."

Carefully cradling the picture in my hand, I admired at just how sweet and happy they all were together and it gave me a warm feeling inside that I haven't felt in quite some time. I bent over to hand the picture back to Judy who gently placed it back in its original spot.

"We can't all exactly fit in the same picture. We tried that once and it was all too crazy! You might as well play hopscotch on a unicycle with a blindfold!"

"Wouldn't surprise me."

"Oh, har har!" as Judy rolled her eyes.

Near the doorways behind Judy, I could see multiple tiny bunny ears popping out until little tiny heads nervously and curiously started poking out. Even from here, they looked more adorable in real life than in the pictures which is saying much because they were quite angelic looking in the photographs. They all kept looking at me with mixed facial expressions and didn't know what to do or say.

"My, those kids are cute." I complimented.

"Oh, thank you Cheribim, but um, I should probably warn you though..."


	6. Feels Like Home

Judy gestured me down to her level to whisper something. I crouched as low as I could but she had to stand tiptoe to reach where my ear was.

"...A bunny can call another bunny cute but when someone else does it, they might take it the wrong way, so be careful." 

I facepalmed. "My bad."

"That's okay." Judy giggled.

She walked back to where her other siblings were partially hiding and beckoned them to come out. Although some were quite shy, Judy's presence seemed to calm them down a bit and gradually build their courage to walk towards me. Before I knew it, more and more were pouring out of the other arched doorways until the room started to fill with tiny bunnies, ranging in many unique colors such as gray, gold brown, cream, pale yellow, black, and white to name a few. Everywhere there were so many eyes staring in astonishment that they seemed to multiply in each place I looked.

As before back at the farm stand, I lowered myself to try and get to their level and appear the least menacing as possible. There were many murmurings and mumblings all around and most dared not to come within four feet of me. Next to Judy, I could see her little niece who was fidgeting with her shirt and carefully hiding behind her.

"Hey fam! This is my friend Cheribim; He's really friendly and wants to say hello! Come say Hi!"

There was still hesitation among them but Jack and Luna came skipping through the crowd and came within two feet of my knee before stopping in their tracks.

"Jack, Luna," Judy called. "Remember how brave you were earlier today? Show everyone how brave you are."

I looked over at Jack and extended my hand before him. Holding it out flat, I gestured him to give me a high-five, if that was a thing here. He looked at my hand, gave me a confused look, and peered over at Judy who gave him a reassuring smile.

"Give him Paw!" she smiled.

So that's what it's called here. Jack returned his eyes to my hand, glanced up at me, and I gave him one big nod. Without question, he raised his paw and swatted my palm while I cushioned the impact to hopefully not hurt him. He smiled with proudness and then Luna came over and did the same exact thing.

"See? He not mean." Jack insisted. 

"Not mean, not mean!" Luna sweetly repeated.

The other little bunnies looked at each other and tried to decide what to do. Judy then came closer with her little niece and I admired at just how cute, rather, adorable she was for her eyes were a bright hazel color. She was much shorter than the rest so I got on all fours and tried to get as low as I could.

"Hello," I greeted. "What's your name?"

"Tell him your name," Judy soothed.

She looked up then down while continuing to fiddle with her dress but managed to start mumbling until we could finally hear her. "C-C-Cotton."

"Cotton?"

"...Yeah,"

Her tail was just as fluffy so that'd help me remember. Thus, I nodded. "Cotton."

She lightly nodded back.

"Nice to meet you Cotton. My name is... Cheribim," I stuttered.

She tilted her head. "Cherry?"

"No, not Cherry, Cheribim." 

"Cherry," she said again with a shy smile. 

I decided to roll with it and I nodded, "Cherry."

In the background, I could hear a couple of the bunnies laughing. It was probably my name but at least it would loosen them up a bit. Cotton had a small nervous smile on her face so I decided to keep talking.

"Cotton's beautiful name. I like it."

She shyly smiled at the compliment but didn't seem to know what to say. 

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Judy happily commented. "Can you tell him thank you?" 

She twiddled back and forth in her dress. "...Thank you!" she blushed.

I crouched down. "Can you give me han-- paw?"

I held out my palm once again and she gladly gave it a hard but proud tap. It was hard to believe how small her paws were. As time went on, the mood of the room became less tense and more casual and some of the bunnies were now starting to become curious and talking more. A few here and a couple there would pull out my hand to get a visual on its size while others kept looking at my boots. All around the room, a multitude of questions and comments could be heard.

"Where's his claws?"

"Why's he so tall?"

"I don't see any fangs or claws either..." 

"Is he from Tundra?"

"Why does he have five fingers?"

"He doesn't have any fur... no tail either," 

"He's a straaaange-looking bear."

"I like his eyes... they don't even move!" 

"Are those his ears?"

"I think he's a rhino,"

"Nah, he can't be,"

"His paw feels like marble,"

In this manner, many more comments and questions were circulating the room but I couldn't catch them all. In the back, I could see teenager-looking bunnies standing in the doorways who had just joined in. Most were like Hazel, trying to be cool and keep things smooth by staying up to date through their electronic social mediums; However, when they got a good look at me, they were quite mesmerized by my alien-like appearance and attempted to pull out their phones to take a picture.

Fortunately, Judy, being their older sister, did well to signal them to put their phones away and they all respected her. She knew that if we were to let any picture cycle through social media, it could definitely lead to some trouble. Luckily, just in case, I had methods of intercepting files by tapping into the same electronic frequency so I shouldn't have to worry about it.

Some of the teen bunnies carefully made their way towards me while trying not to step on their younger siblings. At the same time, I could feel the younglings starting to climb my leg and the back of my cape while the teens began to converse with me.

"Hey, sup," he casually nodded.

"Hello," I replied.

"So um, where you... where you from?" the teen bunny nervously asked, looking me over from head to toe.

"...Agartha," I answered.

He blinked a few times. "Where's that?"

"Across the ocean," I shrugged.

I felt a small tap on my left knee, looked down, and could see a dark grey teen bunny with light green colored eyes. He opened his paw to reveal a small slip of paper and handed it to me. I unfolded it and it read: _'H0PPzF4RMfAMrUL3z'._

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's the WiFi password. Don't they have those where you're from?"

"Right," I nodded, "I'm sure we do."

"Dooo you have your phone with you? You should show us some pictures of where you're from!"

"Gladly," I pretended to reach for my phone even though I never really had one. "Ah, you know, I left it at work....again"

"Oh, that's okay," he said taking one step forward. " I'm Donovan by the way." 

He extended his tiny paw and I carefully but firmly shook it. One of the little bunnies slid down my shoulder, I swiftly caught her in time, wondered how she climbed up there, placed her on the floor, and returned my focus to back Donovan.

"Cheribim," I gestured to myself.

"Cool name!" he smiled. "Almost better than mine!"

"Almost."

"So, what kind of phone do you have?" he asked, trying to return back to the topic of phones.

I had to think back in time for a moment. "It's a... um... well... Motorola flip phone,"

"Really? Haven't heard of it. I have the new Carrot iPhone and it's pretty cool. See?"

He showed me his phone and it was much bigger than I had envisioned. It looked similar to the ones found on my Earth hundreds of years ago back when Apple was a thing. I flipped it over but it had a little Carrot logo instead of an Apple which made me wonder if the CEO was named Steve Hops. I asked Donovan but he simply raised an eyebrow and shook his head. It was worth a guess, I suppose. On Earth-77, our phones were either retina integrated or built into the cerebrum; both versions were hardly noticeable whereas the ones here, by comparison, were like the size of a small brick. In other words, handheld phones were a trend on this planet but were old-school on mine.

"Cherry! We're glad you could make it! Bon, Judy, and I were wondering where you were."

"Yes! And you're just in time."

I looked up and spotted Stu and Bonnie standing near one of the back hallways, waving together. Both were wearing kitchen aprons with Stu wearing a dark blue with the phrase 'Keep calm and carrot it on' and Bonnie wearing a humble red white checkered pattern.

"Kids? Did you know that Cherry pushed my truck all the way home?" "He did??" one of them exclaimed.

"Yep! He sure did and we were all on board," Bonnie remarked. "Wasn't that nice of him?" "Did he break the truck?" a young bunny from the crowd asked.

"Oh, sweet heavens, no!" Bonnie laughed. "He did not break the truck."

"Yeah, she's just getting old is all. Getting old like me and your Pop-pop, right, Bon?" "Oh, yes, Stu. But don't forget me."

"Honey, you're looking younger than ever,"

"Oh, shush." Bonnie blushed.

Stu then pulled her in for a tender embrace and everyone in the room continued to mingle with one another. The parents disappeared back into the kitchen and the little bunnies continued to climb on me like a playground which drained me but also built my appetite towards supper. It sure smelled good from here and I could tell that the Hopps family had excellent cooks. The house initially had a scent of lavender but now it was being replaced by delicious scents of freshly cooked vegetables, spices and seasonings, olive oil, and so on. To be honest, I haven't had a hot meal in over 15 years so this was going to be a treat.

While keeping the kids at bay and under control, a little white bunny I hadn't seen before came directly in front of me and stared up into my eyes. Her eyes were almost the same color as my helmet so I carefully adjusted the nanoparticles around my helmet to make my two eyes appear slightly bigger and more natural. Maybe even friendlier if possible but it wouldn't be too much of a difference. My helmet had multiple eyes, with two primary eyes being bigger than the rest so I tried to make those larger and hide the others.

The tiny white bunny kept pivoting on one leg back and forth while swinging the other, with her paws in her pockets. She wanted to say something but was too shy to ask so I tried to be cordial.

"Hello little one, what's your name?"

"Sir, can you lift me?"

"What?"

"Please lift me."

"Umm..."

"Please," she begged with a innocent voice.

I looked over at Judy beside me but she was already talking nonchalantly to someone with her handheld Carrot iPhone. She looked like she had been talking to a friend for a while but the volume of the room was loud enough that I couldn't hear the dialogue well. Returning my attention to the little bunny who was still waiting in front of me, I gave in.

"Okay."

After bending over with arms out, low to the ground, and hands cupped, she walked into them and gripped between my index fingers and thumbs.

"Hold on." I directed.

She nodded with an eager smile so I lifted her up high above my head with arms fully extended outward. Thankfully, the ceiling had an extended and wide open sun tunnel that allowed me to do this which I didn't see before.

"Weeeeee! Weeeeeee!" she cheered. "I'm flying!!!"

All eyes in the room were upon her and she was at the center of everyone's undivided attention. "I wanna try!" someone shouted.

"Me too!"

After five seconds I brought her back down to Earth and she kept hopping in place due to her uncontained excitement. Many other bunnies started to circle around and hoped to get a turn.

"Again! Again!"

"Please! Do me!"

"Then me!"

"and me!"

"Me too!"

"Me three."

"One at a time please," Judy supervised, as she covered her phone's microphone to put her speaker on hold and smiled up at me. "You're doing great Cheribim, keep it up!" she finished with a wink before returning to her call.

One by one, I gave each of the other bunnies a turn, trying to get to as many as I could but I knew it would take all night. In my head, I was thinking 'Okay, anytime now' while hoping dinner would be ready soon. After getting to the fourth bunny, there was already a line forming that went outside the room. My gosh, I thought. Can't blame them because it's not every day that a human lifts you more than 6.5 feet in the air.

"Wooohoo!"

"Yayy!"

"Yee Haa!" 

"Weeeeeee!"

"I can do this all niiiight!"

 _Not going to happen_ , I decided in my head. I'll admit though, it was a joyful time watching them be happy and laugh. These feelings felt so familiar and yet it's almost like I haven't experienced them in a lifetime. After getting into a rhythm, I was starting to overhear Judy's phone conversation while still lifting the bunnies one by one.

" ...and I'm just here with the family and all, plus, we had a pretty interesting day... ...Ha! Yeah right Nick! Remember that one truck?.... ...Oh, shush. You know I scored ten points higher than you on that mammal driver permit test!... "

They both kept chatting and it seemed like whoever she was talking to, this 'Nick' person, seemed like such a teaser, albeit an innocent one. It was nice to hear that type of personality for a change because nearly everyone in my world was almost too serious at times. Once in a while, we might tell a joke or two but getting a reaction was difficult when the people you shared it with were genetically modified to have void emotions.

"Supper's ready!" Bonnie called. 

"Coming mom!"

"We'll be right there!" 

"One sec!"

"Cherry? One more please?

"Please Chair? "

Had I not fallen from space the night before, I probably would've obliged but I instead looked upon all of them and shook my head once.

"Maybe later, I promise. Off you go now."

They all hopped away into one of the corridors and made their way to what sounded like the dining hall but I couldn't really see it. Moments later, it was just Judy and me in the main room and she was wrapping up the phone call.

" ...Looks like it's dinner time for us. Do me a favor Nick and stay out of trouble?... ...Do I know that? Yes. Yes, I do... Sure! Of course... Oh, Har Har! Gotta go. Sweet dreams! Bye!... "

She clicked her phone to end the call and gave herself an embarrassed facepalm laugh. "Oh Nick! He can be a crazy one for sure... especially on Mondays"

"Who is he?"

"He's my partner! A full-time comedian, friend, and cop, depending on what he wants to be, all rolled into one 'Wild' package!" "Sounds like an interesting mammal on the market."

"He sure is! You'll both have to meet sometime. Anyway, shall we go eat?" "Lead the way."

"Follow me!"

She skipped towards the back of the room and I got on all fours to pass under the first bunny-shaped archway. We were in a long corridor slanting downward with doors along the sides that were much too small for a human-like myself to enter but there was another bunny-shaped arch leading into the next room. I continued to crawl down my way through another corridor and it felt like I was chasing a bunny through a McDonald's playground.

At the end of the second hallway, we were in another room that was more square in appearance and had three more bunny archways with the middle one being the largest. There was a handmade rug placed in the middle of the room which spanned the entire floor and the three arches had curtains dangling to the floor. It looked like a dead-end until Judy grabbed one of the curtains and pulled it up to reveal another large area.

"Here we are!"

As she kindly held open the curtain door I crawled through and beheld a grand lofty spacious room. It was a lot to absorb as it had to be the largest room in the entire dwelling. It was almost like a quadruple decker room with multiple levels and balconies. Instead of being filled with Whos from Whoville, it was filled with over 250 bunnies from the Hopps family all gathered around scattered tables, categorized by age, across multiple levels of the room.

I got back on my boots, stood on one of the lower balconies next to Judy and Donovan, and panned my head around to get a better visual of the entire establishment while phasing out the various onlookers.

Patterned in a variety of pink colors like the rest of the house, it contained three large bunny arches across the room where the middle one was four times bigger than the rest; in fact, it was tall enough that even I could probably walk through it with extra height to spare. Inside the grand arch, I assumed was a stage for performances but it was actually the kitchen with both Bonnie and Stu inside who were running the show and preparing the food with some extra helpers on the side. For a family of this proportion, I was sure glad the children were well raised to support their parents in this daily task.

The little family member assistants were carrying plates around the dining area topped with blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, watermelon, celery, cucumbers, sprouts, corn, asparagus, artichokes, cabbage, kale bell peppers, vegetable soup, black beans, green beans, raspberry pies, kelp, spinach, and, of course, carrots. Lots of carrots of different sizes, lengths, and proportions.

While I was eyeing the delicious foods as they were being placed on the tables just like in those old T.V. commercials, I heard a sudden cracking of a voice over on my right. The voice was a bit croaky and quite a bit shaky that it caught me off guard for no one here could have such a rough voice. It's as if someone were about to give a speech but forgot to drink water, got a dry throat, and grew fifty years older. To my surprise, it was an elderly looking grey-furred bunny sitting in a red sofa chair who had large rounded glasses the size of his head and was propped on his wooden cane. His right ear was folded over and he was shakingly pointing at me like an old soothsayer who was about to tell my fate.

"Heeey! I know eggzactly who you are and I know EGG-zactly what you are!" 

I swallowed nervously as he continued.

"You... ...You one of dem bears, you one of dem polar bears! You're a loooong way from that ole' ice bucket Tundra town, you know that?"

Many young bunnies around him shook their heads while others rolled their eyes. I took a step closer to address the old fellow. "Actually, sir, I'm not a bear. I am more of a..."

"He's a polar bear Pop-pop!" Judy cut in. "Yes, you're right! You got it!"

"Ohhh well of course I am right!" Pop-Pop proudly proclaimed as he firmly planted both paws atop his cane. 

Judy turned facing me and gestured me so that she could whisper something.

"I'm sorry, he's just...he's a little too old for surprises."

"...And how many times I gonna tell ya Trudy?" Pop-pops butted in. "Those foxes are red... because they were made by the devil! Don't you get eaten by one of dem!"

"Oh, goodness." Judy facepalmed.

Her Pop-pop was definitely an interesting fellow with many years of elaborate parenting and grandparenting experience under his belt. After all, he did have 275 grandchildren so he must've had plenty of opportunities to hone his skills. Nevertheless, he was a bunny at an advanced age who was stricken with so many years of carrot farming that he was starting to lose it. I mean, why was he suddenly talking about foxes?

We all took our places and prepared to feast upon the lovely food before our eyes that was cooked with a large hint of TLC and a few drops of olive oil. The dining tables were a bit short and uncomfortable for my height so I decided to sit on one of the balcony stairways and use each step as a place to put a plate and a glass of water. They had orange juice, apple juice, and many other juices but the water was fine for now. This was about the third time I've had water from the Hopp's family and it was even better than the first two times. Perhaps it was because of the extra slice of cucumber.

The young bunnies gracefully passed plates around the room like it was Thanksgiving from one table to another and made sure everyone tried at least one of everything. Some were still nervous in my presence but managed to lighten up and give a chance. There was so much to try and not enough room on the plate so it was necessary to have at least three plates handy. Each item on the menu was so special and unique in flavor that it deserved its own one-worded description. It would be an understatement to say that it was all simply tasty, appetizing, scrumptious, yummy, luscious, delectable, mouth-watering, fit for a king, delightful, lovely, wonderful, pleasant, enjoyable, appealing, enchanting, and charming.

Sometimes, I would close my eyes after each bite and think back to the good old days when my life took place in the simulation chambers. Things were much simpler then and the food was more than real, just like it was now. Having food that was grown at the right place, the right time, the right conditions, and prepared by the right creature made a huge difference that often goes underappreciated. In my world, our food was often manufactured by a machine and, while it was quick, cheap, affordable, and kept us alive, it didn't help us live.

Luckily, Stu and Bonnie were able to sit down and partake of the masterpiece they created because they deserved it. They came over to me to ask how it all tasted and I gave them the biggest compliment I could ever express. Judy, Bonnie, and Stu saved me from starvation and words couldn't describe how meaningful it all was.

Judy, Hazel, Donovan, and even Cotton came over to join me at the balcony stairway and we all enjoyed the meal together. We talked about many things such as movies, music, and even sports. There was still a bit of a cultural barrier because everything had different names here while still sounding similar. Hazel, in particular, was pretty fond of movies so we discussed the ones we've seen and tried to make sense of them:

"Cherry, when you get a chance you have got to see Pig Hero 6! It's one of the greatest shows ever!"

"I've heard of Big Hero 6 but have never seen Pig Hero 6... or even heard of it."

"What?? We have to change that!"

"Meh, he should watch Giraffic Park instead," Donovan suggested. "That one's a classic." 

"Giraffic Park? Don't you mean Jurassic Park?"

"Huh? Oh No, no, it's Giraffic Park. I'm not sure where you're getting 'Jerasic' from."

"It's probably my accent."

"My favoritest is Wreck-it Rhino and Meowana!" Cotton cheered. "Ooh, those sound familiar."

"Aww, Cotton and I would literally watch those every movie night while I studied at the police academy!" Judy gushed. "I'd fall asleep and she'd keep watching."

In this manner, we continued to talk about movies and they kept mentioning some bizarre titles. I asked Judy what kind of name Cinderelephant was and she asked me what kind of name Cinderella was. Touché.

We changed topics and began to briefly discuss music which was hard because I had to act like I wasn't from a different planet. I enjoyed music but I was more into movie soundtracks since that's what I listened to in the background at my former data scientist job. Thus, I was quite unfamiliar with their songs and the songs of my world which meant that I couldn't bridge the gap as I did with movies.

Next, we moved on to talk about sports. While many of the famous players here were completely different from the ones that lived on Earth-77 hundreds of years ago, the names of the actual sports weren't much different.

"So Cherry, what sports do you play?" Judy asked curiously. 

"I enjoy Rugby."

"What's Rug bee?" Hazel quizzed.

"It's a full-contact team sport that involves running with the ball and kicking it to score points." 

"Wow, so it's like football and soccer mixed together?" Donovan supposed.

I shook my head. "No, it's more like rugby."

"Oh please!" Donovan chuckled. "It still doesn't beat soccer and nothing ever will." 

Donovan and I look over at Judy.

"What about you Judy?"

"Soccer's cool but I really enjoy kickboxing! I'll humbly admit I was top of my class at the academy." Judy braggingly smiled as she was shadowboxing in place.

"I remember you literally took down a Rhino! Bigger than Wreck-it Rhino!"

"A Rhino??" I quietly gasped. "Yep! She sure did!"

"Ha! Thank you Hazel! He left himself open so I just went for it."

We continued in this manner to talk about the fun hobbies life had to offer and we did this for over an hour after supper. There were even freshly baked gourmet raspberry pies for dessert but, surprisingly, they were not made by Bonnie and Stu; instead, they were made by someone outside the family named Gideon who had a local bakery. The grand dining room was slowly emptying as the little bunnies were filing their way out and carrying used dishes to the sink. One wouldn't believe how tall the stack got.

Fortunately, there were at least ten bunnies who were assigned the chore so that many helping paws would speed up the process. I walked over and offered to help but they and the parents repeatedly insisted that I rest.

As I promised before dinner, the bunnies that didn't get lifted in the air would finally get their turn. Most held me to my word so it was about time that I used the stored food energy and put it to good use. I was still tired from the fall but I couldn't let them down.

The room was an excellent place to lift them up and was also high enough to allow me to toss some in the air and catch them. As before, they all lined up and I got right back into my cycle except that I was adding more height to the package. Some of the bunny kids were on the balconies and insisted that I reached up and caught them as they jumped from the upper balcony. Talk about trust fall.

About twenty-seven minutes passed and I miraculously got through all the bunnies thanks to Judy's efficiency and supervision. It was getting late and was time for the younglings to get to bed, according to Bonnie. According to my wrist, it was about 21:47.

Many of the little bunnies wanted to keep playing all night but I was impressed with how obedient most of them were towards Bonnie so they did as they were told and hopped towards their rooms. The dining area was getting empty compared to before and there were seven of us remaining. I felt something soft wrap around my boot, looked down, and was surprised to see that it was Cotton hugging it like a stuffed animal.

"Good Night Cherry!"

"Night Cotton."

She ran towards Judy and hopped right into a tight tender embrace. "Aww, goodnight my little sweet Cottonball! I love you so much!" "Love you toooo!" Cotton sang.

Judy kissed her on the cheek, smiled brightly, and set her down.

She playfully skipped away towards the hallway and one of her siblings guided her by the paw before disappearing from view.

"Time to hit the hay sack. I'm worn," Donovan yawned. "Goodnight everyone, goodnight Mr. Cheribim" "Good night,"

"Good night Don!,"

"See you all tomorrow," Hazel mumbled as she dragged her feet across the floor and headed towards the bedroom hall.

It was down to four of us now and we were all standing in the middle, Bonnie, Stu, Judy, and I. A moment of silence passed and we all looked at eat other and smiled as we took in the gratifying evening everyone had. I looked at Stu, Bonnie looked at Judy, Judy looked at me, and Stu looked at Bonnie but we simply gave each other a nod and no one spoke.

Since no one else appeared to be around, I broke the silence by pulling off my helmet and propped it under my right arm. They already knew what I truly looked like but it was still an adjustment for them to see a human face again. All eyes were on me so I looked at each of them one by one and decided that I should say something. I was starting to get a little emotional so I slowly inhaled while doing my best to hide it since I didn't have my helmet anymore.

"Stu... Bonnie... Judy... ...Thank you. Really, I can't thank you three enough for... ...for everything." "It was our pleasure!"

"Absolutely! Thanks to you, we all made it home in one piece. Your help today was the 'Cherry' on the carrot cake"

"Oh, yes! We enjoyed having you as a guest and our kids talked wonders about you. It's not everyday they get to meet another mammal like you outside of their species, let alone one that's taller than two farm trucks stacked on top of each other."

"Hopefully they weren't too crazy on you. Those kids, I'll say, they sometimes think we're like an oak tree that's free to climb! But for you...well...you were probably more like a giant walking glacier to them."

"Yes, they were very cu...err...great! (ahem) They were great... Thick glacier... with a melted heart." "Yep, they tend to do that. One of the 'many' many reasons we love them so much!"

"I can imagine. Their energy levels, their affection, their willingness to help out around the house, especially in the kitchen, that was great. And the food, my goodness, the food was just phenomenal ."

"And to think you almost missed out on my mother's famous cooking! Good thing I stopped you from wandering off to who knows where."

"It was a good save because she is an exceptional cook."

"Do I not remind you of that everyday Bon? That you're one of the finest chefs in Bunnyburrow? Even Cheribim can say 'Amen' to that!"

"Amen for sure Stu."

"Why, thank you Cherry. I try my best, Stu. It's all part of the hefty package of being a mother, you know, and it's all worth it. Not always easy with our crazy large family... but I couldn't have asked for anything better. There's nowhere I'd rather be than here... with those I love and care for most."

Bonnie cradles Judy's paws, both give each other a humble smile and Stu pulls them all into a lovingly tight family embrace. If I had a camera, this would've made a good family picture. While they were in the embrace, I panned my head to look upon the back walls of the dining area and noticed over 30 more family pictures hanging together in harmony. Some looked old while others looked new but the overall feeling was mutual and heartwarming.

The entire ambiance was quite calming and reverent but I felt a bit out of place. Maybe it's because they're bunnies and I'm a human but I didn't want to just stand there and distract from the evening. Ultimately, it was getting late so it was time for me to go. I wasn't sure where but I felt the need to keep moving and started to take small steps back towards the exit. Even with small baby steps, the noise didn't escape their acute hearing.

"Alright, well, thanks again. I really do appreciate it. You all must be tired and I don't want to keep you up all night." "Where are you off to?"

"I uh, I'm going out...to find a hotel"

"Hotel? There are no hotels around here." "Okay, a motel then."

"All booked." "Really?"

"Yep! Carrot Days Festival."

Back in my head, I was thinking about that carnival from earlier today. So that's what it was this whole time. So it wasn't a birthday party then. Interesting.

"Wow." I thought. "Yeah."

"Well then, I'm sure I can figure something out."

"Hold up though, there is one place that may still have vacancies." "I can find it on my own but thank you, Stu."

"No, no, it'll be too hard, especially this late at night, you know. You'll need our help to find it." "Are you sure?"

"Positive." "Okay then."

"Right!" Stu continued. "So...uh, it's not too far from here. Heck, I'd say it's about walking distance right here in Bunnyburrow. Now, it's not exactly a hotel or anything and it's definitely 'not' like Palm Hotel but it'll do. Budget-wise, it's pretty manageable and you won't have to worry about any of those howling wolves to keep you up all night and..."

Bonnie cuts in. "Oh, Stu. Just tell him."

"Alright, alright. So we've got good news for you! Are you ready?"

I stood there and gave him a curious stare, wondering what he'd come up with and where he was going with this. "You're already checked in."

"What?"

"You're checked in, free of charge!"

"Sorry Stu, I'm still not following. What do you mean by 'checked in'? "

"Cheribim, what my dad's saying is... we're offering you to stay the night here. We've set aside a room for you." My eyes widened in disbelief as I looked at Judy, Stu, and Bonnie, back and forth.

"What? Oh, no, no, that's way too kind of you. I, uh... can't possibly accept that," "Why not?" Bonnie asked. "You're our guest and we'd be delighted to have you."

"We're not just going to leave you out in the cold," Judy added. "Nope! Not on our watch." "But Polar bears thrive in the cold." I joked.

"Hmm, nice try! But one, you're not a polar bear. And two, we already know your 'secret' identity." Judy winked. "Mm-hm, that's right Judy"

I looked around the room to make sure no one was watching. With a family of 275, one would think that at least one of them would be slipping around the corridors past bedtime. However, I didn't see anyone.

" ...Besides," I continued. "I'm a little too big. Honestly, your gesture is much appreciated but... how in the world are you going to fit me?

"Ahh. Bonnie, Judy, and I were actually thinking about that earlier. We had no idea how the heck we'd fit you into a room... ...or for any room of that matter! It could've been here but Pop-pop often comes out here at night to sleepwalk, some of our kids may sneak out for a light midnight snack, or, heck, if you're an avid snorer, which I don't assume, then the dining room would amplify it and the whole house would sound like an old lawnmower. You get it, Cherry. Yeah, so we improvised. We found a suitable place that you can stay in. Remember that garage you saw when you first came? The one where we unloaded the truck?"

I thought about it for a moment and recalled seeing Bonnie and Stu unloading the crates from earlier today and placing them into the garage. It was adjacent to the house, had a similar design pattern, and was well decorated enough to pass off like a house. Thus, I nodded to hear more.

"Right, so, a fun fact you: That garage wasn't always a garage. For Bonnie and I, it was our first original house that we built before we had a family. One month later, after we finally decided to settle down hard, we built a bigger house next to it and converted it to a garage."

"Interesting."

"Yeah, of course. Absolutely. It may not be tall enough but it's definitely spacious enough to lie down and rest. We made a little makeshift bed in there for you with everything you'll need."

"Oh, yes. So Judy, Stu, and I gathered as many extra pillows around the house as we could since we didn't have a mattress ready for someone of your size. We didn't know how tall you were exactly so we made our best guess and left some extras just in case."

"Wow, you three were sure busy this evening. I don't know what to say... this is... ...this is all too kind..." "Don't worry about it Cherry! Please, make yourself at home! After all, 'Tu casa es mi casa' "

"Umm, Stu? I believe it's 'Mi casa es tu casa'... "

"Oh... cripes, that's right. Well, uh, you knew what I meant."

"I owe you three big time. You've helped in more ways than you can imagine."

"There's nothing to owe! Helping others is what we cherish. Whether that help comes from a simple carrot farmer like Stu and I or a brave police officer like my sweet daughter Judy, it's a family duty we hold close to our hearts".

We all stood there heartfelt and it was an incredible feeling to be among a family that was so genuine. It felt like a dream that was too good to be true but it was all happening before us. If only a night like this could be recreated with my actual people so that I wouldn't feel out of place. My past experiences in the previous world, as painful as they were, helped me to appreciate the small happy moments no matter how short they were or what form they took.

Judy's phone suddenly made low, nearly inaudible notification sounds. She pulls out the phone and both her eyes widen. "Oh, sweet cheese and crackers, is that the time? It's already one hour past!"

"Alright everyone!" Stu clapped. "Good talk! Let's all get some adequate rest because tomorrow is going to be another big day." "That's right Stu." Bonnie yawned. "Everyone else is down for the night so let's set a good example."

Stu places a paw on Bonnie's back. "Right behind you honey."

"Good night mom, good night dad! I'll show Cherry the way."

 _"_ Thank you Jude the dude! "

"Rest well sweetheart! And goodnight Cherry!"

"Thank you Bonnie, thank you Stu. You as well."

They both made their way to exit the large dining room with Stu escorting Bonnie, walked up to one of the balconies, dimmed the lights, and disappeared behind one of the bunny archway curtains. Now, only Judy and I remained in the room that was recently filled with over 200 energetic bunnies. I gave her a slight smile and she, as she always does with everyone, gave a smile back.

"Judy?"

"Yes Cheribim?"

"Thanks again, for everything."

"Of course!" She was about to say something else but instead, a brief moment of silence elapsed before she continued. "Well, ready to see your room?"

"Yes please." "Follow me."

Judy led the way through the archway and we took the same route as before with a little shortcut towards the front porch. The whole area was dark, the stars were out, the crickets were chirping, and the conditions to fall asleep were more than favorable. She walked down the porch and brought me to the garage that Stu was talking about. Despite it being called a 'garage', it was one of the fanciest ones I've ever seen and was like a miniature house that was well kept and well maintained.

Judy manually lifted the garage door, I got on all fours and crawled my way inside. There were pillows everywhere! They were neatly arranged into a tight grid to form the shape of a mattress that was about 8ft x 7ft which was a good size for me. For how small these bunnies were, they did a good job of estimating my height. Next to the pillow grid was multiple neatly folded blankets stacked together and the bed grid also had extra pillows on the side to be used for my head.

As I sat on the comfortable surface, I looked over at Judy who was still standing at the opening of the garage. "How is it?" she whispered.

"It's perfect, thank you Judy."

"Glad you like it! If you need anything else, let me know." "Will do. Rest well Judy."

"Goodnight!"

She walked off and started to make her way back into the main house. Right before I was about to reach over and manually close the garage door, I took a brief moment to admire the numerous stars that dotted the night sky and the constellations that were full of stories. The star arrangements on this planet were different from the ones found back at my world but the marvel and brilliance of it all were just as good.

I closed the garage door and laid back to relax on the custom bed. It was a bit strange being atop of over 50 pillows but the level of comfort overshadowed it all and I was looking forward to finally getting a good night's rest. I unfolded one of the blankets, retracted my nanoparticle gloves, and closed my eyes to relax.

There were small steps moving towards the garage from the outside so I peered up to get a visual of what was coming but couldn't see anything. There was a light gentle tap on one of the side windows of the garage, I looked over and it was Judy. For some reason, she came back.

"Cherry?"

"...Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot to ask you one more thing. Will you go on a morning run with me tomorrow?" "Uh, sure, what time?"

"7:30"

"That works."

"Great! See you tomorrow!"

"Goodnight"

She disappeared back into the house and it was now only me and the garage. I waited a few moments in case she or someone else came outside but the coast was now clear. With such a long but eventful day behind me, I laid my head back onto the pillows and thought about my only objective: Getting some sleep. A morning run sounded nice but it was not on my radar at the current moment so I let that thought go. If Judy wakes me up, I'll go but otherwise, I may try to sleep in. Maybe she'll forget about it and go with Hazel instead which didn't sound like a bad idea.

Either way, it was time to hit the sack so I closed my eyes. For the first time in forever, I could fall asleep not worrying about how the world could end the next day. Instead, I could think about how a new day could begin. It felt like being home again...


	7. Yep.  Big Change.

Not once did I wake up from a perfect night's rest because it was absolutely wonderful. It was revitalizing to the soul and it felt great to be alive. For the first time in forever, I was looking forward to starting afresh day in this new world. An alarm clock would've

been a perfect way to ruin a good morning but all I saw were vegetable crates and farm tools all around me. Waking up early for work in my world was the worst because staying in bed felt far better than going out into the cruel dark world. Back at home, I'd always try to extract as much sleep as possible before the dreaded 'Sound of Hell' erupted from that bloody alarm clock. My, I had a passionate dislike for my old alarm clock.

This time, there was none of that to worry about and I could enjoy the peaceful morning in the farmland. Before the collapse, Earth-77 had somewhat comfortable living quarters but the constant sound of cruiser warships flying by, hardware factories processing materials, and violent geo storms were commonly irritating sources of noise pollution. Here though, there was none of that. It felt free. It sounded free.

The only sound I could hear was my head rubbing against the pillows and everything else was simply calm and undisturbed. Thus, it was indeed going to be a good morning and I couldn't have asked for anything better. The garage had plenty of windows on the sides but the sun hadn't come out yet to blind me with its bright rays of glory. If I had to guess, it was about 5:30 am because there was light outside but the sun hadn't fully sprung up yet.

In my bed, I stretched out my entire body into a starfish shape and let out a good yawn that sang in victory because I knew today was going to be great. It was much like being on vacation in a foreign country and looking forward to the scheduled activities for the day. Even though it was more like a foreign planet, the feelings remained similar and still got me anxious and excited. Indeed, a big change for sure.

I began rubbing my eyelids to wipe away the small amounts of eye discharge from the corners of my eyes and felt relatively fine but also itchy. Slightly itchy. Why was I feeling itchy?

After rubbing my eyes again, the itchiness was not going away and something interesting was going on. That's right! Of course. It was probably my eyelashes. They must've shed a bit, hence, the itching was occurring.

After clenching both fists, I looked into my bare right hand, though my vision was still blurry, and could notice many more pieces of eyelashes and hair particles. Goodness, someone's been shedding a lot here. I pulled out my other hand but noticed something that was off.

Or, should I say, something off-putting.

Why do I only have four fingers all of a sudden? A few seconds ago I had five. Also, my left hand seemed to be much smaller than my right hand and it was... quite a bit smaller in fact. I focused my vision on the left hand and noticed that it was all covered in grey... what is this? I tried to rub off the grey furs but they wouldn't come off. Wait, these definitely aren't eyelashes and they do not come from my hair... there's no way... I have blond hair... not grey hair! Nor do I have gray hair.

I looked back at my right hand and it was now the same thing as my left hand! It was also fully covered in grey fur! Was someone shedding here? Was it the bunnies from last night? It could've been.

No, there was something worse happening...

The room was getting bigger and bigger and my entire body felt like it was transforming...

...into something else...

I rubbed my eyes again and noticed that my face felt like it had grown a full beard; but, was that really just overnight? Impossible, there's no way. Panicked, I rubbed my face again and felt like it was all covered in itchy grey fur but couldn't figure out why. I touched the sides of my head and moved my furry fingers upward and touched something atop of my head. It was firm and felt like...

...horns?!

I don't remember having horns! But they weren't horns. They were...

...ears? Were they ears? I lifted my arms high up and couldn't even reach the top of the ears. What was going on?

My mind was racing like a violent tornado and I felt like poor Pinocchio when he was transforming into a Donkey. Was I becoming one? A jack-ace? Oh no!

What have they done to me? Was this world's atmospherics changing the chemical composition of my body? What was I becoming? I knew I should've left that cursed helmet on my head. Why in the world did I take it off?

I stood up to examine my new body and realized that I had no hooves, no hands, but paws instead. Not only paws but... claws also... they weren't big claws... just small ones? That means I was becoming...

_...wait a minute..._

I looked into a small mirror.

_...No..._

...a bunny? Inconceivable. Impossible.

Oh, my heck! Was I really a bunny? What did they do to me? Why was this occurring? Did those bunnies get me sick? What kind of pathogen was this?

...No, no, no...

_"Aargh!"_

Frustrated and utterly shocked, I popped open the garage door with my little dumb bunny hands and ran my way outside into the fields. I frantically looked around aimlessly and couldn't believe what had just occurred. To make matters worse, my suit was entirely gone. I went from a hard-skinned soldier, large in stature, to a soft fluffy animal, small and helpless! I just transformed into an animal! It all felt so strange that I kept tripping over my big bunny feet and struggled to properly stand upright. I turned around and spotted... a tail?

I started hopping and galloping across the grass plains and came across the main dirt road. I looked one way, no one was there, so I started crossing to make a run for it and could hear a large truck suddenly approaching from the other direction. The headlights were bright, the horn was angrily blaring, the tires were screeching and the truck was rapidly sliding towards me for impact, and then...

There was a loud POW! Followed by a CRASH!

...And then a thud.

I was out cold...

After what felt like many hours, I woke up and imagined that I'd find myself in a hospital connected to machines and trying to recover from the truck's impact. After all, I could hear something beeping in the background so it was likely a heart monitor.

However, this wasn't any ordinary hospital...

...it was...

Oh no...

...it can't be...


	8. The Small Talk

_..._

"Cheribim?

My fuzzy eyes were wandering around the hospital room and I saw Judy standing at the doorway next to one of the nurses/doctors in light blue scrubs whose back was turned. She was also a bunny, like me, who appeared to be checking the heart monitor from which I was hearing the constant soft beeping.

...

"Cherry, are you okay?"

_..._

"My head..." I groaned while my furry paws tightly clenched the mattress.

"What's wrong with him?"

The nurse turns around with a clipboard in her paws.

"Hmm, well Judy... it looks to me that Mr. Cheribim here is suffering from an acute case of..." 

She sets down the clipboard.

"...being freaking clumsy!" the nurse broke out in laughter.

My eyes widened in surprise because it was actually Hazel who said that. She was not wearing scrubs but rather, they were lavender colored pajamas. As my vision became clearer it turned out that we were back in the Hopp's family garage and it was still early morning, about 6:07 am. Of course, this wasn't an ordinary hospital because it wasn't a hospital at all! But, where was that low beeping noise coming from?

Scattered around the floor and the bedspread were carrots, lots of carrots; some broken, some bent, others warped; along with a couple of pieces of shattered wood from one of the crates. Did I just destroy one of those crates? Was it last night? I tried to gather my thoughts together because so much was going on right now that I could only focus on one thing at a time.

Okay, I'm back in the garage, for some reason. Now, here I am, with Judy and Hazel, who were kind enough to check up on me. Next, I had to figure out what the heck happened to me last night. I was ready to start questioning Hazel and Judy on what they did to me but I didn't want to come off overly blunt. In an effort to contain myself, I enduringly constricted my paws together and slammed them to my head.

"Argh!" I growled.

I was about to let them have it because I did not ask to be a bunny. I didn't ask for any of this! They'd feel my ferocity so I opened my eyes, getting ready to stare them down until I hesitantly detained myself.

...wait a minute...

My paws, err, my hands?

I still had my hands! They were pink/olive toned and were no longer grey colored There were no more paws. I pinched one of my scars to feel pain but this wasn't a drill and I wasn't dreaming anymore. I was still human with human hands. My goodness, that was quite the morning dream and it was completely uncalled for! Not cool, to be honest! My buildup of anger was immediately suppressed and seeped out like steam on one of those old fashioned hot water kettles.

Judy and Hazel continued to stand there and stare at me as if they had no idea what I was about to do. I looked at both of them and then at the ground to realize the large mess I created with the shattered box of carrots. It felt shameful but at the same time, I was just thankful that the bunny dream wasn't real even though it felt as real as those simulations.

The beeping noise kept coming and going and I looked over to my side and noticed that it wasn't a heart monitor...

...it was...

...my helmet?

I grabbed it from the side table and looked inside. There was a flashing red message on the interior visor HUD and it read: [FLIGHT SYSTEMS COMPROMISED. TRY AGAIN LATER. ERROR CODE 30DHT92]

That's where the beeping was coming from and it sure did sound like a heart monitor. I've never heard it before but quickly silenced it, tossed my helmet to the side, and didn't much care because I was just grateful that last night wasn't a reality. Error codes were a common thing in those old suits anyway so It helped lessen the worry. For now, my mind was occupied with other things.

I fell backward onto the bed, let out a big sigh, and spread myself out like a starfish. Hopefully, I wouldn't become one.

"What happened?" I wondered.

"Well, how can we put it?" Hazel grinned before turning to Judy.

"Well, you slept like a rock most of the night until something startled you," Judy explained. "I heard you from the bedroom but figured it was nothing. Suddenly, we heard a door open, we thought it was a burglary until we realized it was just you opening the garage door... and you did it in a panic."

"Should I tell him?" Hazel asked while covering her mouth in laughter.

"...So after opening the garage a second time," Judy continued. "You instantly fell backward. I thought you were going to convulse on the floor or something but you went right back to sleep and..."

I tilted my head. "And?" 

Judy broke out a giggle. " _Well._.."

"Okay, I'm telling him!" Hazel eagerly chimed in. "While you were sleeping, you lifted a fifty-pound crate of carrots like a bench press until suddenly... you dropped it! Ha, no! More like, you lifted it up mightily in the air and pulled it towards your face until... SMASH!" Hazel loudly clapped her paws. "BAM! You smashed yourself in the face with a fifty-pound crate! Ohhh, it was hilarious! I'm sooo glad I made it over here in time! Sorry Cherry but you would've rolled on the floor in laughter too, ha! If it weren't for Jude, I would've uploaded it on Zootube and it would've been a huge hit! I'm surprised you didn't bruise your head or anything!"

"Oh..." I facepalmed. "Are are you sure that was me?"

"Yep, pretty sure!" Judy firmly stated with a confident smile. "It's not like there are any other animal suspects waiting around here in plain sight."

"Oh, it was comical!" Hazel laughed. "With a fifty-pound crate of carrots, that scene alone was easily worth more than fifty karat gold." 

Judy shrugged in agreement. "I'll have to admit, Hazel. It was quite entertaining."

"It sure was, haha!"

"Man..." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Seriously though Cherry, I've never laughed this hard in my life! You're too funny!"

I sighed. "I've been called many things, but never funny."

"Don't worry though! We'll just keep it between us three. Right, Hazel?" 

Hazel winked. "Oh sure, absolutely!"

"Seriously though, we will."

"Yeah, why not?"

"Please," I begged. "It's our little secret. Promise?"

"Promise."

"Promesa"

I lifted up my pinky and all three of us locked pinkies together in unison. Turns out, a pinky promise was a thing here even though mine were pinker than both of theirs. They'd never seen a bare human hand before and both curiously pressed my prominent hand veins but Hazel kept going at it. I quickly pulled my hand back to avoid a Tarzan-Jane hand scene.

"I know. My hands are weird."

"You mean your paws? They're definitely soft and furless."

"No, they're called hands."

"Haands? Never heard of it. And your claws, they're so flat... " Judy lifted my hand to Hazel. "You see that Hazel?" 

Her vibrant eyes widened. "Wow. Now, _that's_ different."

"They're nails," I said as I pulled my hand away. "Not claws."

"Nails?" Hazel questioned. " Like nails on a wooden door? Why are they called nails? They're kinda like claws, aren't they?" 

I shook my head. "Not exactly."

"Well, what are they used for?"

Judy's question had me stumped for a bit so I had to think about it.

"...I suppose they protect the distal phalanx and soft tissues from injuries. Maybe to help grasp objects... but that's it."

"Pretty strange, I'll have to admit. Me personally, I prefer my claws."

Hazel lifted her paw in a suspenseful manner and presented it before me. However, I didn't see anything intimidating about it. 

"Clawless?" I observed. "Could've sworn bunnies had..." 

She suddenly and proudly flexed her paw and out they came.

"...right... claws," I concluded.

"Ha! Just because we're prey doesn't mean we don't have claws!" she smiled proudly. "Judy, show him what you've got."

"Rawr!" Judy mimicked as she unsheathed her claws and did the same pose from her family picture.

"Oh, my," I jokingly exclaimed. "Those are fierce-looking."

In all seriousness though, these bunnies had quite the claws despite how sweet and innocent they appeared. They must've been useful during primitive times to help survive in the wild and hide from predators. I suppose the animals here have evolved enough from the stone age that they don't need their claws but maybe they come in handy for texting instead. Who knows. Either way, that didn't stop the two bunnies in front of me from having some fun. Hazel did a sort of wolverine pose whereas Judy kept doing her family portrait pose and both were being quite silly.

"Alright," I gestured. "You can put your claws away." 

"Pretty neat, huh?"

"That's right Judy! No one messes with us!" Hazel boasted while both sheathed their claws.

"Fight or flight, they'll be ready." 

"Siempre listo!" Hazel grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "I get it. Claws are better."

"Yep, pretty much!"

"But if something falls into my eye, at least I won't be wearing an eye patch," I added.

Both Judy and Hazel laugh and look at each other while shaking their furry heads.

"Oh, har har, don't be jealous Cherry!"

"If it makes you feel any better, we can add claws to your disguise."

That got me thinking. The disguise was still in the pending status. I could let the bunnies work on it but I remembered that my suit was not only made of nanoparticles but it could also be reorganized into whatever configuration comes to mind. Thus, if I wanted to make claws protruding from my fingertips, I could probably do that. Maybe even ears to look more animal-like. How about a tail? Possibly, though it'd appear too metallic looking and not fluffy enough. Reality can be whatever I want. Well, more or less.

Imagine if I added claws to the gauntlets then Judy and Hazel would sure be running and I'd get the last laugh. However, given that they're unfamiliar with nano-tech, I didn't want to show them the magic behind it. After all, I'm trying to be the least alien-like as possible. Technology from my world was well beyond what was available in this world and many other worlds from the previous universe.

We all sat there together and enjoyed having a little early morning chat. Both of them were great company and I was grateful that they were checking up on me, even if Hazel was pretending to be a nurse. It was quite embarrassing to be the one responsible for the mess I created in the garage, with all the broken wood pieces and scattered carrots. They probably had many more carrots in the field but that didn't take away the shame. Luckily, they didn't seem at all grumbled by it, and, if anything, they were more entertained by it. Probably because I'd be the one picking up the mess.

While I was looking around the room further, Judy was sitting atop my helmet like a chair stool and stood up to survey the mess around me.

"Anyway, it was just a crazy dream, right?" she assumed.

"Hmm, I'll say!" Hazel asserted with a small grin. "At least the crate box took most the impact, eh?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Had to be the carrots from dinner."

"Ouch, those carrots are beneficial but if you eat enough, then you'll become either feel like a _fit bunny_ or feel a _bit funny_."

"Good one." I gestured. "But still... last night was... the _best sleep_ I had in a while."

"Glad you got some rest! You were pretty tired yesterday."

"Quite"

"You did bench a fifty-pound crate so I'd say you're well-rested by now." Hazel chortled.

I nodded and continued to monitor the shattered wood scraps along the bedroom floor. Since these bunnies walked barefoot, one of them could easily get a splinter. 

Instinctively, I dropped to my knees to gather pieces. "This mess... let me clean it ..."

Both the bunnies moved in. "Here, we'll help you!"

Judy was quick to drop to her knees to assist in gathering the crate debris and Hazel followed suit. We placed the extra, unbroken carrots, in a metallic container near the other crates and threw away the rest. Luckily, there were only a couple of broken carrots so those were thrown away into the nearby compost bin outside. I looked up at both of them who were still working and I felt bad.

"Judy, Hazel, don't. I created this mess." 

"No can do! You could use an extra set of paws. So we're helping you." she smiled.

"We don't have anywhere else to be for the next half hour."

I let them gather the carrots and I focused on the shattered pieces of wood. Surprisingly, I didn't get a splinter when I smashed my face. I still couldn't believe I did that! It just didn't sound like me. Not one bit. Getting hit by a truck, to me, was more believable than face-smashing a crate. Then again, the truck in the dream was probably full of crates so I must've gone into autopilot mode by crushing a crate against my head to make the car accident more dramatic. Oh boy. I suppose this is why they strapped us down in the simulation chambers back when we underwent enhanced dream cognition.

We just about wrapped it up and the room was finally back in order again. Thanks to them, a fifteen-minute job was done in less than five minutes. I cleaned up the last piece of wood and both Judy and Hazel were clapping their paws to clear the dust off.

"There, that's the last of it! Good teamwork."

"Aren't you glad we helped?" 

"Yes, thank you."

"Hey, don't mention it!"

Upon gathering the last wooden piece, I checked the clock. "Only 6:37 AM," 

"Oooh, I'd sleep in but Bonnie needs my help at 7:00. Imma head over right now." 

"Right, thank you, Hazel."

"And thank you Cherry for making my morning! haha! And Judy, be sure to keep him away from those crates." she winked. 

"Oh, I'll do my best." she gave Hazel a saluting wave. "See you later sis!"

"Ciao!"

Hazel skipped out of the garage and it was only Judy and me. We both looked at each other and gave each other a small light smile. I looked around the room, noticed the other crates, and decided to be a little funny. I slowly lifted my arm to reach for one of the crates and Judy quickly stood up and hopped in front of my arm.

"Ha! Don't you dare," she placed both paws on her hips. "I've got my eye on you."

I gave off a small chuckle and lowered my arm back down. My gauntlets were on the table adjacent to me so I grabbed those and securely placed them on. The nanoparticles formed a tight seal around the base of the wrist and made a low audible sound so I cleared my throat in an attempt to suppress the noise. However, one of Judy's ears perked up and I think she noticed.

"So Cheribim, I did say 7:30 but we're getting an early start. You ready to go?" she cheerfully asked.

"Go where?"

"On a morning run of course! Don't forget."

"Oh... right."

"I'm going to grab one more thing real quick. Meet you outside in three minutes." 

"About that."

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure about this?"

"Sure about what?"

"Me running out there?"

"What do you mean?" Judy reasoned. "You're not trying to excuse yourself from morning exercise are you?"

"No, not that," I contested. "Rather, a human running around in public might not be such a good idea."

"I don't think the type of species you are should reflect on whether or not you can go into the community. True, I'm sure 'human' is a rare species but that shouldn't stop you from exercising your rights."

"Well... I suppose... but... a human is rarer of the rare species." 

"Don't you go on runs at home?"

"Well, yes, I do, but..."

"But what?" Judy wondered. "You said you're from across the ocean, right? There are plenty of animals that live across the ocean. Don't you have animals of many species living in your vicinity? I'm sure here in Bunnyburrow there's many who haven't seen you before; but at your home, I'm sure there's plenty of other animals that have seen you."

She had me right there in a bind and I didn't know what else to say. I thought about my previous world and honestly, there were no living animals in my area. Most were either extinct or heavily endangered to a point where they ended up in labs and away from the public. I tried my best to imagine what other animals were like in my world but all I could see were their blank stares and basic anatomy from the holograms. As a kid, I remembered going to the zoos but that memory was still haunting.

Judy was awaiting a response from me so I decided it was best to just agree with what she had to say because it was the safest thing to do. All I could do was nod so that's what I did. 

"Okay... you're right."

Judy places her paws on her hips. "Where did you say you were from again?"

My palms felt sweaty, I could feel myself tensing up, and the clock was ticking so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Agartha"

"Agartha?"

"Um, yeah, Agartha." 

"...Agartha?"

"...Yes."

Judy stood there for a moment in brief silence, slowly nodded, and gave me a suspicious stare. "Right."

But I said nothing more. I've said enough. Agartha was 'technically' a real place or, rather, it was a nickname for an industrial colony that I once resided in so it wasn't 'technically' a lie. I somewhat regretted the place I picked but it was all I could think of in the heat of the moment. It's the same answer I gave Donovan earlier and he didn't seem to care. However, it was probably because there was so much going on last night. This time though, it was only Judy and me. She was on to something. I knew I should've studied a geography book for this planet because I had no idea what or where the heck I was talking about.

"Three minutes. I'll be back."

Once again, I nodded and she disappeared out of the garage. Things were about to get intense but hopefully, the run itself would be more intense. I had no running clothes or shoes but figured I could just wear my suit. It may be armored but it's quite flexible due to the billions upon billions of nanoparticles that move freely with the user. It was built for combat anyway, so, what good is a soldier if he can't run? I shortened my cloak down to the level of my knees so that I could run more easily.

A fraction of me didn't want to go for a morning run whereas the other fraction was quite excited to go. I enjoyed running back home because it was a good way to relieve stress from the substantial workloads at my previous job. We didn't have the outdoors to run

in but there were some indoor gyms that provided hologram footage of what running in nature would be like. Most were realistic except that most gyms didn't have the 4D feature; which was, the water vapor, wind, smell, and echos of nature.

This time, it would be a real morning run and I had a feeling it was going to be outstanding. A time to stretch, explore, and enjoy the outdoors. I've always considered outer space to be far more beautiful; however, there was something about walking on solid planetary ground that made green nature more enjoyable. Outer space was easy on the eyes but not on the ears. At least with a planet such as this one, I'd be able to enjoy the scents and sounds, unlike space.

I grabbed everything I needed, including my helmet, and headed outside to meet Judy in front of the house. Before I could count to

180 seconds, she was already there waiting for me and doing some dynamic stretches. I securely shut the garage door, placed my helmet on, and walked to where she was.

She had a dark blue tank top with a small police logo on it and was wearing black colored workout leggings that appeared suited for running. However, she appeared to be missing something. While she was doing standing quad stretches, she could hear me approaching.

"Ready Cheribim?"

"Ready."

She turned around and noticed that I was in my full armored uniform and gave me a perplexed glance. "No running clothes?"

"No running shoes?" I asked.

"What?"

I pointed to her lower extremity where she didn't have any shoes or socks. 

"Most runners wear running shoes," I commented.

"Oh, this?" As she lifted her foot. "Bunnies don't need shoes. Most animals don't unless they have hooves. In that case, they'd get shoes from Hoof Locker."

She looked down at my boots and seemed to wonder something similar about me. "So, you have hands, but do you have hooves?"

"No, I don't have hooves."

In fact, I didn't have feet either. Worse, my thighs were the only 'real' lower extremity I had leftover following the second phase of the Fourth World War. Luckily, I still had my real hands. Everything else below the knee was gone and disintegrated due to a high precision orbital laser strike that came out of nowhere and grazed our entire squad. My, those weapons were painful back in the day.

For now, I had biomechanical web-shaped limbs that were 3D printed using a mixture of alloys and organic particles. They gave me as much movement as a standard human limb except that it was terrible for swimming due to the hollowed structure. It was cheaper compared to most limbs on the market but it had its many other drawbacks.

Either way, it got the job done: It allowed me to walk again and I kept it covered for the most part. Many would make fun of its random, unordered structure, especially if they could afford the 'higher grade' limbs.

Hence, I wasn't a fan of wearing shorts and there's no way I'd tell Judy the reason behind it. Yes, I was like an 'amputee' (better yet, a 'disintegratee') but I didn't walk like one and I certainly didn't run like one. It's as if I were normal which was good but the airflow through the bare skeletal web structure would definitely throw me off balance. I was thinking she was going to ask me about

wearing running shorts so I tried to prepare an answer ahead of time. Instead, Judy looked up at my headgear. "You can leave your helmet here. You'll be okay."

I shook my head. "No, I'd prefer to wear it." 

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Fine. Suit yourself," as she adjusts her watch. "Let's get this show on the road."

"After you." I gestured.

"Follow me!"

She immediately took the lead and began running in front of me down the dirt road. I was surprised by how fast she was so I had to quickly adjust myself to keep up. Her footsteps were soft and graceful while mine were loud and impactful with each step. After about 30 seconds I finally caught up to her and we were running side by side.

"You're going to love this route!" Judy declared. "This road will eventually lead to a pretty scenic pathway. It goes through the open plains and then a grand forest."

"Can't wait..." I uttered under my breath. 

We continued up the dirt road and ran past many other homes that were similar in design to the Hopp's family home. The whole area felt like the shire and the overall ambiance was just as peaceful as depicted in the movie. It was still early morning so many bunnies were still tucked into their little homes and we had the whole roadway to ourselves.

An incline started to form and Judy was sprinting without warning so I had to keep up again. My goodness, she was fast for a little bunny. I had to exert an extra reserve of energy to not fall behind because she was running as if she were about to compete with Forrest Gump. The fastest human can run about twenty-eight miles per hour but I was shocked to remember that bunnies can run anywhere between twenty-five to forty-five miles per hour. Luckily, Judy wasn't 'quite' that fast but she was still up there for a creature who didn't move on all fours.

There was an imminent sunrise at the top which made the road feel like a path to heaven so we both ran straight up with great eagerness. There was a fork in the road that branched off into smaller paths and Judy took the smaller one on the right, which was the one leading towards where the sun was going to rise.

We were out of the bunny neighborhood so there were fewer and fewer homes as we gradually transitioned into a wide-open grass field that appeared to stretch beyond what I could see. The ground was still dark but it was flat enough that there wasn't much to trip over. The scene was absolutely stunning because the sky had a beautiful pink and yellow color near the sun along with a navy blue trim surrounding the outer regions of the canvas.

The clouds were a splendid purple color with a small hint of pink from the sun's glow. It felt like being on the inside of a massive oil painting dome with mother nature being the true artist. There was also a brisk breeze moving calmly and freely in the air surrounding us that made the running conditions all the more favorable. In short, everything about this place was purely phenomenal.

If Pochohontas were here, she'd likely sing and paint with all the colors of the wind. If the Lion King movie was being filmed here, you'd likely hear a random voice say 'Nants ingonyama bagithi baba'. If they made a new Fast and Furious movie, then this place

would be flat enough and the lighting would be ideal enough to show off those glamorous cars. Finally, if Star Wars: The Wrath of Khan were being filmed here, it'd make a great scene but would ultimately be scrapped, along with the movie, due to the zealous nature of the conflicting fanbases.

Nevertheless, any movie could be filmed here. There wasn't a particular movie that wouldn't benefit from such an alluring site as the one we were witnessing. For now, we were both pretty happy to enjoy it and it made our morning run already well worth it.

"Isn't it wonderful?"

"It is." I agreed.

...

We both stopped in our tracks to admire the area.

"It's one of my favorite places."

"You come often?"

"Yep, during my police academy training, I came here all the time."

"What was it like?"

"It definitely wasn't easy... As a kid, I was told many times that becoming a cop would be difficult, impossible even. I knew it would be hard but never imagined what I'd get myself into, especially if I were to become the first bunny ever to join Zootopia's police department... At times, I wanted to turn back because I felt like I wasn't good enough, but I knew I couldn't."

"What kept you going?"

"It was my dream to make the world a better place and I wouldn't let everyone down. Despite the odds thrown against us and how messy life gets, I always told myself that I have to try. 'We' have to try. We all have to try, no matter what others might say. We must look inside ourselves and recognize that change starts with us. It starts with all of us."

After she said that, I thought about my previous world and all the things we could've tried and changed that would've altered our fate. Overall, we did our best but I knew there were a plethora of things I could've done better. Many things I didn't do that I should've done. Unfortunately, I lived a life full of 'what ifs' and not enough 'oh wells'. If there's something worse than failure, it's regret.

I looked down at the dark soil and kept thinking about the past and wondered if it was indeed too late. My world was gone anyway so it's safe to say that it was too late. Far too late. Nothing could change that. Nothing. So much for making our world a better place.

However, there's something she said that stuck with me. I was focused so much on the end that I didn't think about the possibility of a new beginning. Maybe there was something that could be done. Something, but I didn't know what.

I lifted my head once more and scanned the vast horizon ahead of me. It's as if it were full of hope because it was absolutely stunning and I could see the darkness being slowly dispelled by the light. Perhaps the future could be bright after all. As she said, it's completely up to us. We have to try.

My mind continued to wander but I came back to the present, looked at Judy who was still admiring the view and then I gazed back upon the skyline.

"You're right," I mumbled.

She continued to ponder but didn't say much. We both took in as much of the view as we could and spent about three extra minutes in the same spot. After this, she started to walk.

"Well, shall we?"

I gave her a nod and she immediately started jogging to the left of the sunset. I too started jogging from behind and we continued moving for the space of seven minutes. We were in the open plains for quite some time and it was such a privilege to be within such a wide, natural, and undisturbed area. It felt much like being in the open plains of America centuries before mankind set foot upon it. It's as if 'this' was how it was supposed to be.

In fact, these plains were ample enough to fit multiple military starships from my world. Earth-77 was always filled with them and they dotted the entire globe; thus, many places served as graveyards, boneyards, and scrapyards for these giant vessels. Centuries before the collapse and back when our population was numbered in the billions, we had these massive ships patrolling the galaxy and many were even stationed outside of Earth's atmospheric borders. We had thousands of them and most were as large as two Burj Khalifas placed end to end.

However, there was a near mass extinction event that took place during the peak season of the fourth industrial revolution. It was a new year, no one had foreseen such a scenario, and it came upon us like a thief in the night. There was a mutated strain of Progenitor-89, a virus, which killed off a fraction of humanity multiple times during the Stone and Bronze Age. For centuries, it was trapped in the polar ice caps, which we quickly disposed of, and the ancient strain was released into the air. At first, nothing happened. We already had immunity to most diseases on the planet but a rogue scientist, under the command of the Prophet of Perdition, decided to experiment on the virus and uncover its stark history.

To this day, we never figured out how the virus spread so drastically. Some claim that the 3D organic printers were hacked and that someone was able to replicate the virus genome onboard each vessel. What we do know is that it was genetically engineered and reprogrammed to be used as a weapon for bioterrorism and most of our population became susceptible to it. After 6 months, our population of millions dropped down to the six-digit category and it was similar to 9-11 for many of us. Due to the sudden drop, we

didn't have enough people to pilot the ships orbiting Earth and many could only remain in autopilot for a couple of years before the systems started to fail. One by one, ships were dropping like flies out of the sky since no one could keep them in the air. Some drifted out into space while a large fraction fell into decaying orbit and crash-landed all over the planet.

Despite this tragic downfall, we salvaged what we could and we persevered. We rose from the scrap and kept going because it's all we could do. I remembered walking through the wreckage of one of these ships and hearing the ghostly echos of metal creaking in the wind. It was a haunting reminder of our glorified past when we had all the power and the largest military fist this universe had ever seen. It was all a past memory but it was also a foreshadowing of things to come. All this occurred about two centuries before the great collapse but we were never the same again.

Thus, our planet's surface was littered with our past ambitions and it wasn't something that could simply be bulldozed away. It was like a scar that could only fade at best.

This planet, however, had so much openness to it. It was covered in more nature than I'd ever imagined. It was like walking atop a fresh page in a new book.

Speaking of which, we appeared to be heading towards a mysterious forest. The trees started out small but became increasingly thicker as we moved inward. We were soon surrounded by evergreens, oaks, and pines on all sides with the canopies stretched well above our heads. I arched my neck to take it all in and appreciated the beautiful lighting that shone from the branches which made the place feel enchanted. This might be an ideal place to find a Christmas tree because there were so many to choose from.

We ran through the dense woods, I had to bushwhack a few parts but Judy ran atop the logs and made it look so simple to navigate. She kept jogging and hopping from place to place for about 17 minutes as if it were some obstacle course and I was wondering how much energy she had leftover. I wasn't nearly as agile so just plowed right through it all as if I were playing rugby. It wasn't so graceful but it was something.

I loved running and could keep running in such a beautiful place like this so I didn't complain. My side started to ache and my heart felt like it was going to melt its way out of the ribcage but I kept going. At this point, stopping would've been more tiring than keeping the pace. I felt like I was going to die of exhaustion and it sure felt great. That bunny was definitely in good shape.

Finally, we reached a long corridor of trees that appeared to stretch miles into both directions. We were still enclosed by a seemingly impenetrable barrier of greenery but it almost felt like we were on an old railway track that was covered in tall grass, thick logs, blooming flowers, wild ferns, and reclaimed by mother nature. I tapped the ground but there were no iron railway tracks of any sort. No traces of it. This landscape was pure, unaltered, and formed on its own.

For a brief moment, I lost sight of Judy again but I ran, further along, to come around a bend and found her standing in the middle of a small meadow. It was quite a small area, the patch was a quarter size of a tennis court, it had three log trunks lying across the ground and the surrounding trees towered multiple stories above us.

She stopped to wait for me and was barely breaking a sweat. I could only hear her slightly panting whereas I was panting like a dog. After making it to where she was, she only had her paws on her hips but I had my arms on my knees and struggled to stand up straight. I never thought that stopping would make me so tired.

"Woot woot! You made it!" Judy cheered. "Phew!... Thanks..."

I tried to say more but I didn't have the breath nor the energy to do so. Instead, I found a log in the middle of the meadow, dropped my knees to the grass, and sat in an upright position with my back against the log.

"Wow, you've... worn... me out Judy... " 

"And that's what I call a hustle!"

"I'll say,"

I leaned my helmet head all the way back while panting and tried to catch some sample of air. It was an excellent run but I often wondered when she would stop. At last, I got my wish. She was still standing strong on both legs as if she were ready to continue the march but I felt like a potato sack. Physically, I considered myself in pretty good shape but one month of being stuck in a laboratory and not exercising can certainly take its toll, no matter how adequate the cardio is.

Judy surveyed the area, did some static stretches, and maybe some yoga on the side but I simply stared up at the sky and watched the sunlight grow brighter and brighter. It was a splendid day, the birds were singing, and the insects were beginning to buzz all around. No words could describe how marvelous it was to be in the outdoors to enjoy the serenity of it all.

I've read books about these kinds of experiences. Being surrounded by nature and living a life without any perturbations nor distractions. Leaving all those worries back at home and focusing on the present situation. Earth-77 was devoid of these kinds of places so all we could do was study about it, imagine it, hope for it, dream it, but never be in it. Truly, mankind had taken away the core purpose of Earth and we didn't deserve it anymore.

We could've done better, we had the potential, and we had the capability of doing so. I knew we did but we didn't. Apathy took us by the reigns and led our crown jewel into destruction. Earth was once our garden but it ended up becoming our workbench. I'll admit, we were excellent crafters but we never seemed to clean up the sawdust. We just let it pile and pile day after day, month after month, year after year, and century after century until it choked us.

Many other thoughts were passing through my head but I had trouble choosing which one to focus on. Feelings of emptiness, plenitude, sadness, joy, bitterness, and sweetness were all battling it out and I didn't know what to feel with my heart. It's quite hard to explain but I basically felt delighted to be here on this world while, at the same time, I felt a pang of deep guilt for being here.

After all, this was an entirely different universe and I should not be here. Nature chose to delete us and I evaded her command.

Judy had just finished doing a five-minute plank so she came over to the same tree log where I was resting. She sat atop the log which made her head height about the same as mine. She had a concerned look on her face upon seeing mine. I was still wearing my helmet so she couldn't exactly see my emotions but the helmet tilting downward was a sure sign for her that I was unsettled. I tried to mask my emotions but sometimes one can't always hide them.

"You doing okay?" she asked.

I didn't respond.

Something had to be said but the words choked on my mouth. For some reason, I felt like I lost the ability to speak. Everything felt like the first day all over again: Landing in the crater, being exhausted, meeting Judy for the first time, and being unsure of myself. Taking a deep breath, I briefly glanced at Judy and then gently turned my head away.

"I-I'm fine," I uttered.

"Cheribim?"

"...Hmm?"

"There's... there's something I have to ask you."

I turned my head to look her in the eyes, trying to prepare for what was coming next.

" ...But you have to promise me," she continued. " ...Promise me that you'll be completely honest with me. ...Deal?"

... "Deal."

"Where are you really from?"

There was no turning back now. It was just us and she had me where she wanted me to be. But I didn't want to fully give in. "I'm from Agartha."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"Nope."

"I swear."

"You can't be."

"No, really, I am."

"You're lying to me. You don't wanna lie to an officer, do you?." "No, no I'm not. Why do you think that?"

" Last night, I did my research. This place you call 'Agartha' does not exist. It never has." 

"Okay, it's not on the map, but why do you care where I'm from?"

"Because. You never know someone unless you know where they come from. But that's not all. You said you were 'human', right? I've looked everywhere in the Zootopia animal records, including the ones from the Natural History Museum, all of them, and found nothing. There is not a single reference to the 'human' species anywhere in history. I checked online documents, the same thing. Nothing. And that's what's scary."

"Impossible," I remarked. "Perhaps the archives are incomplete"

"Even if they aren't complete, what you've told us just doesn't add up. You're a data scientist, are you not? From my perspective, you must know how suspicious this all must sound which is 'kind of' a big deal."

"I can see why... but... "

"But what?"

"Nothing... It's nothing ..." I said with a pause, trying to think of something else. "It's sure a nice day, isn't it?"

"Whoa whoa there Cherry, you're not getting off the hook that easily." " (sigh) Look, it doesn't really matter..."

"It does matter."

"...It doesn't have to."

"Why? Why are you trying so hard to keep the truth from me? I'll have you know that I may be a small bunny but you should never underestimate me."

"I c-can't. You wouldn't... ...You wouldn't get it."

"Why wouldn't I get it?"

"Because. You wouldn't."

"Try me."

"No."

"Please, try me."

"No."

"Try me!"

"No Judy."

She kept asking and persistently begging but I only shook my head and didn't say anything. I was hoping she'd drop the topic and give it up but that didn't seem to phase her.

"Well then," she continued. "My family and I stood up for you, fed you, brought you in for the night, but you don't have the decency to come out clean."

"Judy... everything you did for me I couldn't appreciate more. You're a wonderful family but... let me ask you this. Why did you bring me in?"

"Because... we thought we could trust you. The more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. I believe it's our duty to help one another and understand one another. But you... you won't let us understand who you really are. We try but you won't let us try."

"Look, I'm glad you care but... maybe you should give it up. In the end... " I looked up to the sky. " ...it doesn't matter."

She gave off a slow nod and just when I thought the conversation was over, she hopped off the log and firmly stood in front of me. "Fine. If that's the case Cheribim, then I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

"Going to arrest me?"

There was a metal clicking sound. I looked down and saw that Judy sneakily handcuffed my wrist to a tree root protruding from the ground.

" ...that was a joke, Judy."


	9. The Big Talk

I couldn't believe she was carrying handcuffs this whole time. I got arrested by a bunny and tried to imagine what my former colleagues would've thought about it. Looks like my stubbornness wasn't getting me too far anymore. Honestly, I could probably break out of these restraints with ease but I will admit that she had the upper hand-- paw, with this one. Had I used brute strength, it would've been a sign of weakness anyway. Genie was losing to a rug but I was losing to a bunny. A clever bunny. A sly bunny.

"Comfortable?" she asked proudly. "Mr. Cheribim, you are under arrest."

"Oh boy..."

She folded her little arms. "And you have the right to remain silent."

I had no words to express so I continued listening to her. 

She pulled out an orange object. "You see this carrot pen?"

At first, I thought it was a veggie snack to torture me but it was the same pen she used on the Hopp's family truck to check inventory with. Thus, I nodded.

"Yes. What's so special about it?"

"This pen is recording as we speak. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Now, you're gonna be honest with me and you'll tell me the truth. We're not leaving here until I get what I want. Understand?"

When she said that with a small grin, I immediately thought of a scene in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur and his knights were naive and ignored the dangers that a fluffy bunny could pose. They heeded not those dangers and most of the knights perished because of it. I couldn't see Judy going savage like that but I figured I shouldn't make the same mistake as Arthur's knights.

Judy's sweet but she's definitely not weak. I underestimated her and I kept the full truth from her. Shame on me. I did it for her own good but realized that I was a fool for doing so because the truth would have to come out at some point. My intentions were good, I suppose, but they say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

"Okay," I nodded. "You win." 

She smiled in victory. "That's right."

"Alright, so--"

"Wait." she interrupted. "Please take off your mask. That way, you can look me in the eyes and tell me."

"As you wish." I remove the helmet and firmly plant it on the ground.

"Good. Now, the truth. Where do you come from?"

_I took a deep breath._

"Okay... " I exhaled. "I'll be direct." 

"Start talking."

"Hope you're ready..."

I closed my eyes and tried to prepare myself for what I was about to do. Out of all the beings on this planet, bunny or not, she deserved to know the truth. I wanted to hide behind the helmet, especially my emotions, but I was exposed and felt vulnerable. However, it was time. Here goes nothing.

"I'm not from your planet."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Since she was too shocked to speak, I continued. "I come from another world far from yours. Beyond this planet."

"I...I don't understand..." she stammered. "If you're not from here... then... does that mean you're... an alien?"

I sighed. "An extraterrestrial."

"Really?!"

"Affirmative."

She grabbed both her ears and tugged them. "Wow... I...I can't believe this..."

"It's time you knew."

"There's no way! They were right this whole time!"

 _"They?"_ I questioned.

"Hazel and Donovan. They joked about it last night. I didn't want to believe them and that's when I did the research... this is crazy!... I mean... I was only like sixty-percent sure at the time... but I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt..."

"Wait, you guys knew? Why didn't you say anything?"

"We didn't really know for sure. We didn't think it was actually possible... but it is."

"Well, there you go,"

She kept breathing in and out. "Okay, _keep it together Judy, keep it together..._ I'm really talking to an alien... Oh, sweet cheese and crackers! I'm kinda freaking out right now... There's no way. This is completely--"

She kept pacing back and forth around the area while trying to contain her excitement. She had so much energy to do so and it was a cute thing to watch. It was just us out here so I felt fine with trusting her because she had so much good in her. Sooner or later, this would have to happen. It's about time someone figured it out because I've been accidentally dropping hints like crazy, ever

since I arrived in this world.

"...So it all makes sense then!" Judy proceeded. "You're not from Earth, hence I couldn't find your species 'human' anywhere! But if you're not from Earth, then, if you don't mind me asking, umm, what... what planet are you from? Is Agartha the name of the planet?"

"Not exactly."

She tilted her head. "So where then?"

"Here's the crazy part: I'm from an Earth, just like you." 

"What? But you said you weren't from Earth."

"No, I said I was from another world. I'm still from Earth."

"Wait, but how? What do you mean?"

"The Earth I come from is not your Earth. It's another Earth, much like yours, but also, quite different." 

"There are two Earths?"

"There are many more. If you were to count the grains of sand on this Earth, you wouldn't be able to number them." 

"I-I don't understand..."

"It gets complicated. Let me explain." 

"Please do! I want to know everything."

"Might take a while but I'll do my best," I said while stopping to gather my thoughts. "Okay, the world I'm from is also called Earth, but, more precisely, we called it Earth-77."

"Earth-77?"

"Yes, you can think of it as the 77th Earth that my species has discovered. Or rather, the 77th Earth in order of existence. That's the one I'm from. Across this universe and other dimensions, there are other Earths with many other names. We gave them all names to keep track of them. There's Earth-01, Earth-02, and so on. Further up, there is Earth-616, Earth-89 and the list will keep going as long as there are other universes out there."

"How many universes are there?"

"Infinite. Even my small human mind cannot comprehend it. All I can say is that there are many universes and many Earths in existence. All are filled with life forms like you and me. Past, present, and future, they all coexist together. With the passage of time, these Earth worlds are born, they thrive, and then they are ultimately destroyed. They have much in common but usually, they have more things that are different. For example, in your universe, I don't think humans ever existed. In my universe though, both humans and animals live in the same world."

"They do? Your world has animals?" 

I nodded. "It did."

She paused for a brief moment then looked upon me. "Did?" 

"Yes."

"But what happened? What were they like?"

"Appearance-wise, they were a lot like the animals found here. However, animals don't talk in my universe."

"They... _don't?"_

"No. They're unable. They lack cognition."

She blinked a couple of times. "Wow, so you're saying that they never... evolved... like we did?"

"I suppose not. They don't wear clothes, they don't use tools, they don't use technology, and all they do is crawl on all fours and give you blank, emotionless stares."

Her ears slowly dropped. "But... That's so sad!"

"Not really. It was normal in my universe. Coming here to see animals with real emotions was honestly quite shocking to me."

"I'm sure for you it was. Even we were super shocked to see you. We never thought we'd have the privilege of meeting someone outside our world, let alone, Earth entirely!"

"Thanks. And I felt privileged receiving aid from you."

"Hey, that's what we're here for." she smiled before she turned pensive. "But if you're here, how did you get here in the first place?" 

"That... that's a long story."

"Well, it's only morning, I got you cuffed, and I like long stories so let's hear it."

Here comes the difficult part, I thought. We barely scratched the surface and she wanted to know more. I had to warn her though because this knowledge could change everything. Apart from me felt like I shouldn't tell her but my other gut said that I ought to do it. My world was history anyway so I might as well share it. History, not learned, is bound to repeat itself again.

"Okay, Judy. I'll tell you." 

"Great!"

"But a few caveats." 

"Go ahead."

"What I'm about to share with you is dangerous knowledge." 

"Dangerous?"

"Very."

"Why is that?"

"Because it could change everything. Probably more than you can bear." "I'm an officer, I can handle it. It's my job to face danger."

"What's the most dangerous thing you've ever faced Judy?"

"Well, on the job, I've been attacked by nearly every animal bigger than me. Rhinos, bears, cougars, wolves, and panthers to name a few. But at the end of the day, I made it out intact, survived, and brought them all to justice."

Her answer was surprising, to be honest. A little bunny who could take on all those animals that were often ten times her size was quite impressive. Pure guts right there. I really did underestimate her. However, I'm afraid that her experiences wouldn't suffice for the knowledge she was about to hear but she was probably more prepared than anyone else in this world, despite being a bunny.

"My point exactly, Judy. Don't get me wrong, what you've been through is remarkable. Nevertheless, the danger I'm mentioning is the type that could end everything you know."

Her ears dropped. "What do you mean?"

"This knowledge has led to the destruction of many worlds." 

She began to feel tense. "Are you talking about an alien invasion? Is that what this is all about? Are you an alien invader?"

"No, not at all." I assured. "I come here in peace. Promise. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me an alien. It's like me calling you cute. Even if it's true that doesn't mean the other wants to hear it."

"Haha, okay, fair enough. You've got a point. Now, can you please tell me how you got here?" 

"Sure, but one more thing."

"Of course."

"This is only between you and me. Do you understand? Unless I say otherwise, do not share this knowledge with anyone. No one. If they ask, just tell them that I came from a random melting glacier in Tundry Town."

"You mean Tundra Town?"

"Ah, yes, that's the one."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Pinky promise."

She held up her tiny pinky and I carefully went with it.

"Right. You sure you're ready to hear more?" I asked.

 _"_ Absolutely! You know I am. Have you seen the size of my ears? I was born ready ." " (sigh)... Alright, here we go."

"Let's hear it."

"You ever heard of time travel?"

"Yep! easy."

"What do you know about it?"

"Well, uh, not a whole lot but I understand that it's a tool we can use, in theory, to go back in time and change the past. Actually, there's a really good movie about it!"

"What movie?"

"Star Trunk!"

"You mean, Star Trek." 

"Nope! Star Trunk."

"Okay... "

"Mm-hmm, so in the movie, Captain Tusk and his crew board the Prairieprise to travel back in time to the past and try to stop the K'Lions from--"

"--Alright," I interrupted. "I get it." 

"So you've seen it?"

"Well, sorta."

"If you get a chance, finish the last episode."

"Maybe later. But anyway... whatever you think you know about time travel, throw it all out." 

"Why do you say that?'

"Because we did it differently."

"Wait... you... you time travel?" 

"For a living, I did, yes."

"Whoa, tell me about it."

"It was one of my former jobs. Initially, I was just a super-soldier in the military until I joined one of their research teams. That's when I became a data scientist. I helped with numerous calculations and for many years we developed a machine that gave us the capability to travel across different time dimensions. We had access to the past, present, future, the what-if, the what could've been, then what would've been, the what should've been, and what will become."

Judy's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way!"

"I'm serious." 

"That. Is. Crazy."

"I agree. At the time, we all thought it was crazy but we did it."

"But... but that can't be true! There's no way. I mean, even if it were true, that means you're not only an extraterrestrial but you're also... from... _the future_?!"

"You said it."

"Sweet cheese and crackers! You're from the future AND you're an extraterrestrial species?" "Yes, I'm from the future but... I'm not from 'your' future."

"I don't understand."

"I'm from a different Earth, remember? I can't say for sure but my world was at least a thousand years ahead of yours. Not only that but we're an 'alternate' version of your planet. A world from another time, another universe, another reality, and another dimension."

"Can you please explain?"

"Sure, but only once... because my right hand is getting sore." 

"Just keep it simple."

"I'll try. We'll start with a simple example and build it from there. My favorite is the mirror analogy. When you see your reflection, what do you see?"

"I see me."

"But is it really you?"

"I guess not. Just my reflection."

"Maybe, but isn't your reflection saying the same thing about you on the other side of the mirror?" "Ooh, perhaps, haha."

"There you go. You could say that you're looking into an alternate universe. An opposite version of everything you know. Somewhere out there, there's someone asking and wondering if you even exist. That someone is you but it's not the same you. It's a different version of you."

"Hmm."

"Now, we have two universes in mind: a universe you're familiar with and a universe of your reflection. Let's consider more. Please bear with me because I was only an assistant at my former job so my knowledge isn't nearly as crisp as my colleagues. Also, I may not be the best at explaining so please stop me if something doesn't make sense."

"You're good Cherry! I'm with you."

"Great, so let's consider how other universes can exist besides the ones we've just described. We'll start with choices. Judy, what would you say was one of the greatest choices you made in your life?"

"Ooh, that's a hard one! But I'd definitely go with choosing to become a police officer."

"Alright, that seems like a good choice. Glad you made it. Good job. (I gave her a thumbs up with my left hand.) Now, let's imagine what your life would be like had you decided to 'not' become a police officer."

"Oh goodness!" she chuckled. "Then I would've forever remained as a carrot farmer, never would've visited Zootopia, and I never would've met my partner Nick."

" ...and I wouldn't be in these handcuffs." I joked. 

"Oh, har-har, you wish!"

"Right, so, in theory, there exists another universe by which you exist but that Judy decided to not become a cop. Imagine that." 

"That'd be terrible! I'm sure glad I don't live in that universe."

"Well, the other Judy is not so lucky or maybe she's luckier. But consider this. Maybe in that other universe, the other version of you is not named Judy. Perhaps she looks like you and acts almost like you but her name is Trudy. If not, then maybe her name is Ruthy. The list goes on. There are so many ways that other universes and other worlds can coexist. Do you think names and choices are the only things that are different? Physical characteristics, mental health, growth, physiological status, gender, and numerous other things are different between you and other Judy's from other universes. They all coexist and they're all parallel with each other. Some exist before others, some die off, and some are born much later. They're all out there. But it's not just you

Judy, there are alternative versions of everyone. Everyone else has their own what-if, what could've been, and what might've been about them lurking about in other realities. Different choices, different universes, different times, and different outcomes that all exist in a chaotic manner which affects--."

"Wait," Judy cut in. "You're losing me Cheribim... this is all... so... confusing... "

"I understand and I know I'm not the best at explaining this. However, I'm trying to help you understand where I come from and how

I got here."

"But why are you telling me this? It doesn't make sense and my poor little head hurts. What's this got to do with how you got here?"

"You're right. Even I'm getting myself confused. I've never really explained this to anyone before. I'll admit, I'm passionate about it for sure but it's not helping. I'm not good with the execution."

"It's just sooo much information. You're telling me that there are multiple versions of me out there in 'other' universes but if I've never met them then why does that matter?"

"Okay. Tell you what. I'm going to get straight to it. I'll tell you exactly. I tried to give some background knowledge in hopes that it'd eventually make sense but I've only made it more confounding."

"Ha, I agree with you. It's like you're trying to teach an entire academy semester in one sitting." 

"Allow me to fix this. It'll still be confusing no matter what but here we go."

"I'm listening," she said. "I'm all ears."

"So, I come from the future. How did I get here? I used a time machine. Why did we have a time machine? We used it to travel to the future. Now, you might ask why we would travel to the future when I just said that I was already from the future? Well, when we gave it a try, we found another species just like us. They were humans, they had much in common but they were always ten years ahead of us. By that, I mean their technology was always 10 years more advanced than ours. In other words, if we had the first generation apple, err, carrot iPhone, then they would have the tenth generation. Thus, we went into the future so that we could always see what the latest technology would be like. In other words, we weren't patient enough to invent the previous iPhone versions. We decided that we might as well jump ahead and see what could be there. That's why we went into the future with our time machine. We wanted to gain quickly gain knowledge so that we could make our own iPhone 10 even though we had the iPhone 1. You with me so far?"

"I think so! So basically, you had the old phone and you wanted the new one but you didn't have the patience to wait ten years for it so you jumped ahead to get the latest one before it was released?"

"Exactly. Wow. You said it better than me." 

Judy gave a sly smile. "Hmmm! I have a knack for that you know. But that's okay, we'll piece it together as a team. However, I do have a question. How can you be from the future if you're traveling to the future? Wouldn't you be in the present while the iPhone 10 owner is in the future?"

"Fair point Judy. Let's adjust the situation now. Before I do though, let me ask you. What's the most current Carrot iPhone version out there in this world?"

"The 14 I believe!"

 _"_ Great! So now, let's suppose that my species has invented the 100th version."

"Cheese and crackers! That'd be about 100 years into the future. However, with how fast phones change, I wouldn't be surprised if we hit version 100 in less than 50 years. Maybe even in 40 years."

"Couldn't agree more Judy. One minute you have the latest phone and the next day it's already out of date. ...Anyway, I'd better avoid tangents. Let me get back on track. So, my species has the 100th version. We can both agree that my species would be pretty far advanced and living in the future. Right?"

"Definitely!"

"But imagine if we knew someone who somehow had the 110th version. For us, they'd be a species from the future. Everyone else who has version 99 or below would look up to both of us and think that we were both from the future."

"True!"

"As you can see Judy, the term 'future' is relative. The species with the 110th version is the future of futures. They're above all futures. The species with the 100th version is still considered the future, especially when compared to a species with version 14. However, the 100th version species is not as futuristic compared to the 110th, even though both are futuristic. Good so far?"

"Yep, so the version 14 species look up to version 100 species as future while the version 100 species look up to version 110 as the future. Got it!"

"Excellent!"

"Sweet, keep going!"

"Here's the fun part. So we have the version 14 species, which is you guys. Sorry Judy, you guys are in the past. No offense." "Ha! None taken. I'm only 'slightly' hurt by it but I'll let it pass."

"And then we have the version 100 species, which is where I come from. My species. From the future. Finally, we have the 'other' species, the version 110 species, which is definitely 'not' us but you could say we're related. More or less. Anyhow, they're further into the future and we want to follow in their footsteps. We really want the new iPhone 110 but we don't want to wait. Therefore, what do you think we do next?"

"Easy! You use your time machine and travel to the future."

"Bingo! And that's what we do. We arrive at our destination and we ask our 110 species how they did it. They are friendly enough to share secrets with us and, voila! We unlocked the new iPhone 110. We're happy, we take this knowledge, travel back to the past from which we came, and share our knowledge with everyone."

"That's really cool! Let me guess, you continue this same pattern with your fellow future friends?

"Correct."

"Pretty neat! So, you have the iPhone 110 but the other species must already have the iPhone 120 by now, right? After all, they're always 10 years and 10 steps ahead of you."

"Yes, of course, at least until... well, yeah."

"So, saame thing? I think I get it now. It just keeps going." 

"We all think that at first Judy."

"Huh?"

"We all think that for a while until something happens." 

"Like what?"

"Well, we think that we can keep going. It would make sense that version 120 would eventually exist but something... something goes wrong."

Judy's ears drop slightly.

"So let's try this again Judy. We will do the same thing. Same scenario but, of course, with us having the new iPhone 110. As before, we have species 14 who had just upgraded to species 24. Finally, we have species 100, which is us, who had just recently upgraded to species 110. Thus, that's what we know so far."

"Don't forget!" Judy added. "You forgot to mention that there's species 110 who is now species 120."

"Not quite."

"What?"

"In this scenario, we don't know for sure. It's just a rumor. We think that they have the 120 version but we don't know." Judy looked as if she was disappointed but was still eager to hear more.

 _"_ Alright, here's the heart of it. We have species 24, the past. We have species 110, the future. We hear rumors that species 120, the near future, is out there somewhere but we don't know for sure. Of course, there's only one way to find out. We use the time machine and travel to the future. Why? So that we can find them."

"Makes sense."

"We send some volunteers from species 110 to the future so that they can meet species 120 and... ...nothing happens. Species 120 doesn't exist."

...

...

"Wait," Judy gestured. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Simple. Species 120 doesn't exist. Never has."

"Oh,"

"But that's okay. Just because we couldn't find species 120 doesn't mean that species 119 doesn't exist. Same thing, we all load into our handy teleporter, try to find them, and... same thing. Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nada, zip. At this point, we're definitely worried All we're trying to do is travel to the future to see if there is a future. In other words, to see if there's a new iPhone version out there that we haven't come across yet. Thus, we do the same thing. 118, 117, 116, 115, 114, 113, and even 112. Nothing. All search attempts fail. Those iPhones don't exist. They never have. They never will. What's worse is that the time travelers that we send into the future don't come back either. They're gone. They're no more."

"But... what about... what about 111?"

"What about it?"

"What happens when a species reaches 111?" 

"They don't."

"Ever?"

"Never."

"But couldn't you just travel to the future like you've always done?" 

"Not anymore."

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened. Whatever species was ahead of us, they vanished. They ceased to exist. There was nothing left. They expired. No, they didn't die off, but rather, they were deleted from existence. Gone forever."

"You're scaring me."

"I was scared too. We tried to bring them back but all we hit was an invisible brick wall. We tried to peak over but there was nothing but dark, null, and void emptiness. We spent months trying to sort things out but our efforts were futile. They couldn't come back."

Judy looked increasingly perturbed as time went on. She didn't seem to know what to say, what to do, or how to react to all that I was telling her.

"Thus," I continued. "The clock was ticking and we were next. We knew it would happen to us and it was only a matter of time. We became the most advanced civilization the galaxy's ever imagined, we evolved for so long, we've outlived every possible extinction event, but time travel into the future was no longer a viable option. Had we reattempted it, we would've shared the same fate as both the time travel volunteers and the 'supposed' 120 civilization ahead of us. We would've been destroyed."

"So that's where you came from. A future that no longer exists?"

"A universe that no longer exists. That's why we had to abandon it. There was nowhere else to run and nowhere else to hide. We could never get to 111 even if we wanted to. Back to our example, the iPhone company didn't go out of business. Instead, it stopped existing."

"But how could it no longer exist?"

"Nothing lasts forever Judy. When a universe is born, it starts out chaotic and messy. Over time, 'Something' keeps it ordered, at least for enough time so that life can thrive. During that time, you have Earth and all the celestial bodies that orbit the stars in an organized fashion. However, when the time comes, everything becomes less stable and will collapse on itself. If an explosion can start this universe, an implosion can certainly end it."

"And that's how you ended up here then. You escaped your universe."

"I abandoned my universe. Rather, 'we' abandoned it and barely made it out alive. We reversed the time travel machines and went backward in time. However, you can't technically go back in time in your own universe. You can only go to an alternative version of your universe that's not as old. Why? Because what's done is done. You can't reverse or undo events that occurred in your timeline because they already happened. Many think that they can but they're only fooling themselves because whatever they 'think' they reversed in their timeline was just something that they did in the 'other' timeline and not their own timeline. It just doesn't work that way. Therefore, we had to switch dimensions and that's how I ended up here."

_..._

_..._

Judy quietly sat there in a frozen position with both her mouth and eyes hanging wide open in complete bewilderment. I've never seen her sit so still until she suddenly slapped a paw over her forehead.

"Okay, now my head really hurts!"

 _So did my hand_ , I thought to myself. It was tempting to just break the tree root to set myself free but I decided to be nice enough that I wouldn't break her stainless steel handcuffs. Also, I didn't want to ruin the moment so I just sat there and kept quiet.

"All this time, you came from a different universe AND a different dimension and now you're telling me? I might need a moment to take it all in..."

Judy started to pace back and forth in deep thought.

"Go ahead, take it all in. I'll just sit here by this log you've handcuffed me to and mind my own business." 

She immediately turned around and pointed the carrot pen at me.

"The thing is," she smiled cheekily, "I'm pretty sure I'm the first bunny to arrest a super soldier from the future."

"Don't get too proud."

And yet, she seemed proud. She continued pacing back and forth on the log and used her carrot pen to take down notes. This was the first time I've ever shared this much knowledge with someone outside my dimension and didn't know what it could imply. Mostly likely trouble unless I had something to say about it. Nevertheless, it felt harder to continue lying about my past as opposed to being honest about it.

"So... you made it here and you survived... but where's the rest of your species?"

A sudden wave of sadness hit me like a ton of bricks, unlike anything I've felt in a while. The weight of it made me have a shortness of breath.

" ...They didn't make it."

Her ears slowly drooped and she placed a paw on my left forearm "Cherry... I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Me too."

"It's terrible. I can't imagine what you're feeling right now... all the pain... what you're going through... It must be really hard..." 

"I should've perished with them."

"No. Don't. Don't you say that."

"Judy, it was supposed to be me. Not just them."

_"But it wasn't! You're here. You made it."_

"It should've been all of us." 

"Why do you say that?"

"Because... I... I don't deserve this. None of this. These last twenty-four hours have been the best of my life... and... I... I don't deserve it."

"What?"

"I feel guilty and it burdens me greatly. You and your family have been so wonderful to me Judy, they really have. You saved me from thirst, starvation, and kept me alive. Before I got here, I had no food nor water for many days and you brought it all to me. I was supposed to be a stranger to you. You were supposed to run away but instead, you took me in as a friend and you cared for me. If only there were more like you in my world."

"Why would we run away? And Cherry, don't forget that you helped us too!" 

"It was nothing compared to what you did."

"But it meant so much to us."

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that I don't deserve it. My species, all of us, 'we' don't deserve any of this." 

"I wanna know why you think that."

"It's because my people were among the most wicked creatures to have ever existed. If you knew what we did and what we were capable of, you'd be running and hopping out of this forest. We were always at war Judy. Before the collapse, we were always on the brink of annihilating each other over planetary disagreements. We were smart, but we were stubborn. We were advanced and yet, so uncivilized. We had advanced weaponry for self-defense but always resorted to selfish attacks. We invented cures but spread more diseases. We created artificial worlds but we destroyed the naturally occurring ones. Our homes grew bigger but our families dwindled in size. We all had more PhDs but fewer morals and common sense. We had countless experts and yet countless problems. We traveled all the way to other galaxies but never crossed the road to greet our neighbor. We've split the atom but not our prejudice. We were a dark society and we brought our planet to destruction long before it was finally destroyed for good. Hence, that's why we don't deserve it. It's why I don't deserve it. I'm one of them, Judy. While I'm proud of the technological feats we've accomplished in our timeline, I'm also quite ashamed to be associated with our species. We destroyed other worlds, invaded them, and took away many homes for our own personal gain. If my people were still around, they'd destroy this planet and harvest anything leftover. Can't you see why we had to stop existing? It was time for us to go. Earth-77 had its chance and we wasted it! That's why we all should've perished along with the universe. I survived but I shouldn't have survived. I should be dead!"

After I had finished ranting, I silently checked my surroundings and realized that this has been the most dialogue I had spoken my entire life.

...

..

"Cheribim... I... I understand what you're saying... but I can't believe everything you're saying. Your species may have done a lot of evil... but you can't let that define who you really are. I've only known you for a short time but I know you're a good mammal. I've seen it and I've felt it. You care about others and we all noticed that. Collectively, as a whole, your species may not be as good as you had hoped for, but individually, I know there are good mammals among them like you."

"But Judy, I've stood helplessly along the sidelines and did nothing to stop it. I just watched it all unfold. At times, I felt like I tried my best to do something but it wasn't enough."

"We all have our limitations, we all make mistakes, which means - hey, glass half full! - we all have a lot in common. Sure, you've probably made 'plenty' of mistakes, and they're probably bigger than most but I can't judge because, well, I wasn't there. You can't just wish you were dead because that's the cowards way out. Why don't you try to end things on a good note? Hey, you're the last one, aren't you? You should end your civilization's legacy on a good note because it all starts with you."

"But what can I do? I mean, I'm different, I'm not one of you, and I don't belong here." 

"Well, you're stuck here aren't you? Unless you brought a spare teleporter with you?" 

"No, it was destroyed in the one-way trip."

"Then it looks like you're stuck here and that's okay." 

"How is that okay? I have no purpose being here." 

"Then find a purpose."

 _"_ What?"

"You can find a new purpose. You have to."

"It's not that simple. I don't belong in this dimension and humans have no place here."

"You might not have much of a choice. You could work here. Start a new life here. With your past experiences, imagine all the things you could do."

"Or the trouble I could bring... It's not worth it... I have to find a way out of here." "But where are you going to go? You don't exactly have a home to go to anymore."

"I'll figure that part out later, but first, I have to get off this planet."

"Don't be crazy, you just got here." 

"I've been here long enough."

"Well, unless you've actually discovered a way out, which I assume you haven't, then you might be trapped here for quite some time. For now, you're stuck here so deal with it. Enjoy it while you can! We'll help you along the way. We promise... I promise."

I looked at Judy and felt touched by her kind words and almost didn't know what to say. It was hard to believe how a creature like her could be so understanding and willing to help out an extraterrestrial being such as myself. If I'm going to set things right then I would definitely need all the help I could get, even if it came from a talking bunny. Perhaps I could start a new life here, lift my past guilt by serving others in the present, and try to play a role in society that could benefit the future well being of this world.

Nevertheless, I didn't belong here and felt obligated to leave even though I wasn't capable enough yet. I just won't fit in, I thought. This world would never be ready for someone like me. Hopefully, Judy can be the only one to know about it. She was right though. I should take it easy and try to make the best of it while I still had the time.

After a few moments of pondering, I turned my head towards Judy and she was resolutely awaiting my response.

"Well, Judy... I do need time. If you can help me buy it, then I'd be extremely grateful. I'm undecided and I don't know what to do but I will do something. I enjoy being here, really, I do. But I don't belong. This universe should be its own thing so I'll need your help to blend in as much as possible."

"You can count on us! I'm sure my brothers and sisters have already crafted a disguise for you." 

"Right, but, just don't tell them about where I come from."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I promise that I won't tell anyone else unless you give me permission." 

"I appreciate it."

"Of course!"

"And Judy, if there's ever anything I can do to help you and your family, I'll do it. I want to repay for all the things you've done for me."

"There's nothing to repay. We're here to help! To be honest, I find it pretty cool to help out an extraterrestrial because it's not every day on the job that I get to do so! Sometimes my partner Nick and I are always looking for something dangerous to do when the police job gets slow. So don't worry about it. Though, we might need help with things here and there so I'll definitely keep your offer in mind. If my brothers and sisters ever need help with their math homework, then I'll be sure to let you know because they definitely will!"

"Sure thing Judy. Anything to be of service. If it's another car, I'll do that do." "Oh, I'm sure you will."

_..._

Judy drops to her knees near my right hand and carefully unlocks the handcuffs. Looks like I didn't have to break them after all. I was now able to lift my right gauntlet hand and closed my fist a few times to get the circulation going again. It was nice to be freed by a bunny, I guess.

...

...

...

"There!" she smiled slyly. "I suppose that you're free to go. For now."

"Some might call you crazy for doing that." I joked.

"Looks like it's a risk I'm going to take. ...And don't forget," she added. "...a big strong mammal like you was just set free by a bunny. You're welcome."

"Oh well," I shrugged. "I guess that's 'twice' now that you've saved me. But then again, who's keeping track?" 

"You sure seem to!" she smiled slyly.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please."

"But that's okay!" she joked. "In the City of Zootopia, you'd be surprised how often a bunny like me comes to the rescue. And my partner Nick? He's good and I love him to death but sometimes I have to come to him and save the day when he gets in trouble. I know he would do the same."

"I'm sure," I thought. "You seem like a good officer. Putting your life on the line for others."

"It's all part of the job and I'm actually grateful to be a part of it! It can be risky but the reward for helping others is definitely worth it." "It might be a risk helping me Judy. I know you'd help anyone with all your heart but I don't think someone of my kind was mentioned at the academy."

"Ha! Definitely not, but we've all gotta adapt eventually, right?" 

"I suppose so."

"Exactly! We got this. Just keep it simple and it'll all work out. We'll do it as a team."

_..._

...

My legs were tired so I decided to stand up from the ground and sit on top of the log. "Sounds good Judy."

"Great!"

...

...

We both remained quiet for a few moments to take in the majestic sounds of nature all around us. The forest was getting lighter and we were approaching the afternoon. It felt like we've been here all day but it was the perfect place to be, especially if you had a friendly furry creature by your side. Judy acted like a good friend and I knew that she was a good friend to all those she came across. She had my respect. If only my world had people like her who shared her heart, confidence, and enthusiasm then we would've been much better off. However, I'm just glad that this world and her family had her around.

..

...

"Judy?"

"Yes Cherry?"

"It's... It's nice to have someone to talk to... about...well, the past. It means a lot. More than you can know. Back at home, it was... tough to find someone who would listen. So... ...thank you."

...

...

...

While sitting on the log, I turned to face Judy who was also standing on the log and facing me. I decided to extend my hand out to her in hopes that we'd do a handshake as a sign of appreciation and to close off the conversation for the day. Though, instead of extending her paw, she only stood there and stared at my hand and then at me. I kept my arm extended, hoping she would just shake my hand but she didn't.

Instead, Judy ran towards me, passed my extended arm, jumped towards my torso, and wrapped her arms around my neck. _"Oof!"_

I quietly exclaimed. Didn't expect that. I guess she's a hugger.

While she was hugging, my hand was still outstretched and waited for that handshake but that didn't happen. Instead, I hesitantly pulled back my arm and gently returned the hug back to Judy. Honestly, I never really liked hugs, to begin with, but hers was better than most and the gesture was appreciated. Her burrowed head was so soft and sweet that it made me feel a little happier, at ease, less stressed, and gave me a slight hope that things would be alright. I'll admit, I probably did shed a tiny tear.

"No, thank you Cherry! Thank you for trusting me enough to share it all with me! I know you're a good mammal. You're definitely different, for sure, but that's a good thing. Everything's going to be alright."

It was a tender moment and everything around the forested meadow area felt like it was brightening with hope. She's got a friend in me and I considered her my friend. Yes, a bunny friend, but she knew more about being human than most humans ever did. I decided to end the hug so we both simply sat on the log and enjoyed the beautiful morning ahead of us. That's all it was, just a human and a bunny happily sitting on a log bench and keeping each other company. I was wondering if we'd start running through the forest soon so that we'd complete the full morning exercise.

...but no, we just sat there and continued to admire the beauty of nature. The birds kept chirping, the bugs were buzzing, and everything was so calm and peaceful...

Suddenly though, something strange happened. At first, I didn't think much of it. It was probably just the wind...

However, it wasn't the wind. Something was going on...

Something... something was off.

Out of nowhere, my helmet started to softly beep again.

This time though, it wasn't making the same sound as before. It was harsh, slower, and quite frankly, much spookier than this morning. It was as if there was an error occurring.

Judy and I looked at each other in utter shock

It kept sounding and sounding off and was starting to send immense chills down my spine. Even the air around the forest area felt like it just got colder. Never in my life had I heard a sound so terrible and so dark that I had to get rid of it. If one thought the EAS sound was scary, think again because this was worse. I had to do something!

"What's going on?" she gasped. "What's happening?"

I bent over to pick up my helmet from the ground and noticed a red light flashing on the interior. The sound was emanating from my

HUD so I quickly placed the helmet on my head and the nanoparticles immediately formed an airtight seal around my neck.

I looked at the error message and it read:

_**[*** DANGER IMMINENT! ***]** _

"No..."

It can't be. It couldn't be. Out of instinct, I did what I thought I never had to do. It was the only thing I could do.

...

I quickly stood up from my spot and scanned the whole area. Something is out there.

...

It was closing in on us.

...

I held my hands out in front of me and positioned them as if I were holding a weapon. As I kept my hands steady, the nanoparticles began to form into the shape of a gun. Within three seconds, I was holding a high energy semi-auto phaser beam rifle and was ready to open fire. I would not let this threat win. I had to take it out.

...

"WHAT IS THAT?!" she exclaimed, completely frightened by the futuristic weapon that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

I walked further out into the open and the error message kept playing that fearful dreaded tune but I didn't care. Something was out there. Judy was filled with exceedingly great fear but I had to concentrate.

I aimed down my sights and didn't see much until all of a sudden, there they were. I spotted them.

I couldn't see them well but I saw dark figures approaching us. Three of them. They were wearing all black and I could see their

red-tinted visors. They must've been the dark armored soldiers from my timeline. They found us and they were quickly approaching us.

Time was running out. I had to take the shot. I'll give them a warning shot and see how they like that. If they reacted back in any way, I'd kill them.

"What are you doing!?"

"Judy! Stay down! Now!" I commanded.

I pointed the rifle at the approaching targets and, without hesitation, I fired my weapon. It lit up the entire area like it was mid-day and the sound was like a crack of thunder.

The targets dropped and the adjacent tree was completely vaporized. This wasn't over. The entire woods continued to echo until everything fell silent again. Judy was without words and I've never seen her so scared but I didn't care. We weren't safe yet. I had to make sure.

I kept my gun primed and ready to fire another follow-up shot so I carefully moved to the area in which the targets were shot.

I took steps closer and tried to be as cautious as possible in case they were waiting to strike. No matter, I'd be ready. They had no chance. I've got them.

I proceeded further in and prepared myself to face the threat. 

"Seraphim" I whispered.


	10. It Followed Me Home

"Seraphim," I thought. A sworn enemy from my world.

...

Walking across the forest floor with my weapon drawn, I carefully inched my way closer to the target. They were only about 166 feet away and things could get ugly. As I made an approach, images, and thoughts of my previous world began to populate all over my head and haunt me. I could see glimpses of our gloomy past and the dystopian society we had become.

I felt my memory flashback before me and I saw vivid images and memories:

Earth-77 before the collapse was a dark, dreadful world filled with immense suffering and great loss. I remembered seeing images of Salt Lake City populate my head. It was the same city in which I lived my simulated life but it was far different in the futuristic timeline. Over 500,000 people used to live here, now it was a ghost town.

The Seraphim, as we called them, were corrupt elite soldiers from Earth-77 that patrolled many abandoned cities after the Progenitor-89 virus outbreak, one of them being Salt Lake City because that's where patient zero was rumored to be. They were originally stationed to control the outbreak but their methods of containment were highly questionable, inhumane, and unregulated by the disbanded government. They'd shoot any 'organic' on sight, meaning, that anyone who wasn't wearing a full suit of air-tight protective armor would be eliminated without question. Animals included.

This was a desperate attempt to control the spread and, while it did work, for the most part, it was completely unfair to honorable civilians, medical personnel, and policemen who had no access to such limited resources. It was an absolute slaughter and the Seraphim essentially became the very thing they swore to destroy. Aggression was one symptom of the outbreak but the Seraphim did a much better job of displaying it than the virus did. How ironic.

Seraphim were commonly fitted with dark gray or vantablack armor, colors to induce fear and power, that consisted of pico-particles which were far more advanced than nano-technology. For 1 nanoparticle, 1000 pico particles could fit in its place which gave the armor a darker appearance than nano-armor due to its highly condensed nature. Thus, if you got in a knife fight with a Seraphim, their pico particle blade would slice through any nanoparticle armor like butter since the pico particles could easily slip between the nanoparticles.

However, pico technology was much harder to master compared to nanotech since the human brain could not manipulate the particles as easily with electrical signal impulses. Often, it would require a highly augmented super-soldier from birth to be able to successfully manipulate the particles to form any desired shape such as weapons, armor, or tools. The Prophet of Perdition, leader of the last rebel terrorist group before the collapse, was the only human Seraphim I knew who had this malicious ability. He was a monstrous psychopath, much like his followers who also bore the dark armor, and we rejoiced greatly after hearing he was finally destroyed.

Because of this difficulty, many pico particle suits were often preprogrammed by a quantum computer into default shapes and fixed structures. Thay way, an inexperienced user, such as myself, could wield the armor and benefit from its immense protection and offensive capabilities without having to know too much about pico technology.

Humans, therefore, have evolved to that point of high dependence. We relied much upon this technology as a means to breathe in the realms of space and even in the many wasted locations on Earth. Our home had changed so much for the worse that we also had to change if we were to survive this new reality that we had set ourselves up for.

Compared to animals, we had many weaknesses and we lacked many strengths that other creatures were naturally born with. For example, we had no fangs, no claws, no fur, no camouflage, no speed, no tail, no enhanced sense of smell, and no enhanced vision. However, the suits changed all that and turned our frail bodies into something well beyond what our ancestors never could've conceptualized. With the power of the human mind, we converted our shortcomings from a permanent genetic flaw into a temporal wound that could simply be healed. Forty-seven thousand years of evolution and we've barely even tapped the vastness of human potential.

Our abilities were beyond incredible thanks to particle technology that not only enhanced the human body but also made us less human. Most of us wore the armor as an external piece but some went as far as to implement it into each and every internal cell of his/her body. Essentially, you'd get metahumans but the major drawback is most human bodies cannot tolerate such transformations which leads to rejections and then a slow painful death. For those that survived, they enjoyed their newfound abilities for the time being; nonetheless, such modifications required a great deal of energy that would quickly burn the body out if not nourished on a regular schedule. On average, humans who converted every cell of his/her body into pico particles and somehow survived would need to accustom themselves to a new 17,000 daily calorie diet.

Such a high price to pay was already demanding enough in the crashed economy and food shortages were too severe to support such a lifestyle. Thus, most would keep the armor as an external feature to keep things frugal. These armors would always consume energy one way or another but at least they wouldn't require more than 10,000 daily calorie diets. External pico-particle suits demanded 6,600 calories per day while external nano-particle suits demanded only 3,700 calories per day. Despite the nano-suits requiring half the fuel, the pico-suits could offer ten times the benefits.

Light-colored nanoparticle suits, such as the one I was currently wearing, were nowhere near as good when it came to protection. Thus, they were discontinued by the military and taken out of production as soon as the new generation emerged. The only other advantage they had over pico particle suits was that it was much easier for the user to rearrange the nanoparticles to gain a tactical advantage. Even so, a pico particle suit, without the rearranging of the particles, could still easily crush any nano suit.

It was like chess. Light-armored soldiers always had to make the first move to have any chance of beating a dark-suited Seraphim soldier. Otherwise, if the Seraphim made the first move then the nano-particle armor would quickly become shredded. Hence, I had to take the first shot in the forest. It was the only way.

Thus, the Seraphim were vile and savage creatures, despite what their name might suggest and the original purpose they were supposed to serve. They were once regular human beings but they took cybernetic experimentation to a whole new level and traveled down forbidden paths. They were prideful, filled with hate, obsessed with power, and would do anything to make life miserable for those who didn't associate with their cult group.

From the beginning, not all Seraphim were bad. The very few, about 7%, tried to help oppressed civilians and were somewhat successful in doing so. Nevertheless, their suits were all pre-programmed under the same militant network and it wouldn't take long before they were caught. Thus, those who were caught were rapidly disposed of without question and that meant the lifespan of a good Seraphim soldier was all too short. You die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become an abomination.

It was only rumored at the time but some claim that the dark armor they wore was toxic and made them go insane if exposed for too long. Much like a symbiote, it tricked the user's mind into thinking it was comfortable to wear despite the adverse health conditions that followed. Because of this manipulation, most Seraphim would keep their armor on at all times to hide their cybernetic deformities and it became their identity. They may have been safe from Progenitor-89 externally but internally they seemed to be afflicted with something much more sinister.

I've worn the armor before and it was definitely unique. It felt good, made me feel powerful, and even made me feel invincible at times. Nonetheless, I could not deny the fact that there was something fundamentally and morally wrong with it. It felt as if it were imbued with dark, unwelcoming energy within it that suppressed and voided my most human emotions.

Before the collapse, I remembered wearing that dark armor while I was positioned outside the lab near the Agartha-88 colony. During the crucial time when planetwide evacuations were taking place via federation ships, we were trying to convince citizens on the ground that they should come with us through the teleporters instead. No one would listen and they looked at me like I was not only insane but also a monster who brought this fate upon them. Never in my life had I raised my voice so aggressively in defense towards another fellow civilian that I couldn't help but feel like I was being controlled by a dark entity surrounding my persona.

Next thing we knew, the Seraphim rebels stormed our outpost. We loaded our weapons and got into position but as soon as the first few building guards were eliminated, fear and panic took over and consumed our moral. We did our best to face them but th rebel's anger became a sharp tool that cut us down straight to the bone. We had an equal chance of claiming victory over them because we had the pico-particle suits just like they did.

Nevertheless, our enemy was ruthless and efficient because they were full-time soldiers armed with Chemrails while most of us were only part-time so it didn't take long before they brought us down to our knees. They took away our suits and would've also taken away our lives but they wanted us to witness our planet's ultimate demise with VIP seating.

And then; out of desperation, bearing our harsh wounds, and hours of not being able to breathe properly, we came across the light nano-particle suits from the historic vault which made us feel like ghosts of our former world. Despite our firepower and armor strength being cut down by more than 60%, we felt much calmer and our overall demeanor seemed to stabilize itself in no time. We were monsters when we wielded that dark armor but now we were ghosts because the light armor represented our former brave military men from centuries ago, back when we had a unified world. In other words, back when we were more human.

Now my dreadful flashback finally ended. I came back to my senses.

In this forest, the dark monsters were here so It was time for me to go and haunt them. I had no idea how they made it into this dimension but that didn't matter. I had to get rid of them. Whatever the cost.

At the time of the outpost attack, they made the first move and they won. But not this time. Not on this planet.

...

This time, I Cheribim, would make the first move and that's what I just did. After my past thoughts finally ran their course, I was just about 26 feet away from the Seraphim and they were probably lying on the ground behind the lofty fallen log.

...

Judy and I were both nervous but I proceeded towards the target. Rather, she also proceeded with me. Wait a minute. I thought I told Judy to stay behind. It's too dangerous!

Well, technically she was 'behind' but she was only six feet away and I worried that she'd become collateral damage. I couldn't afford to lose a friend, even if it's a bunny friend. She was a brave bunny for sure but I fear that she would get herself killed. After all, untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets.

In this case, though, we wouldn't be facing bullets. Bullets in my world were discontinued centuries ago and we only available on the black market. This time, we'd be facing high-intensity phaser rounds that could disintegrate any organic target, especially if it came from a Seraphim's weapon. They were standardly equipped with repeating blasters but I only had semi-auto. Either way, I had to make it work. I was going to tell Judy to stand back again but my eyes were firmly locked on the threat ahead of us. Once again, I forcefully gestured and commanded her to back away but she kept following.

"Cheribim! Can you pleeease tell me what's going on?!" she shouted. "WHAT did you just DO!?" But I said nothing and pressed forward.

...

With the phaser rifle ready to go, I aimed down my blue-dot sight, peaked over the log, and...


	11. A Common Enemy

...There they were. I found them. They were cowering in the dirt next to the heavy smoke and I had them right where I wanted them to be. No escape this time.

I reassembled the nano-particles in my rifle to form a shorter barrel for close quarters in case things were to get dicey. I fired another loud warning shot at the adjacent tree to keep the enemy pinned down and unable to retaliate. Poor Judy's ears were so big that her small bunny paws couldn't cover them fully.

I kept my rifle aimed and ready to fire. There was quite a bit of smoke leftover from the vaporized tree so couldn't get a full visual on their identities...

The smoke begins to clear.

After the vapor of ashes was finally dispersed, I could see them better.

I observed for sudden movements...

...

...but they wouldn't move.

...

...wait a minute...

...

...they were...

...

...wolves?

...

They were black-furred wolves...

...but not the wild ones found back at home.

...

Both were dressed in casual hiking clothes, had backpacking gear, and appeared to be a young couple. I was towering over them, my weapon still drawn and my sights were trained right on their heads. I tried to get a good look at their eyes but noticed that they were not red. In fact, their eyes were full of pure innocence and immense fear for they thought I was going to take away their life. The black wolves were tightly embracing each other as if it were final moments before death which caused me to feel intertwined emotions of confusion and growing guilt.

This felt so odd to me because it was all reversed. I should've been the one fearing wolves but instead, they were fearing me and the tables have turned. Their tails were tightly tucked in, their ears were droopy, and their countenances were heavy with fright. I may not have had claws nor fangs but I certainly had the firepower to finish them off with one trigger pull.

I looked around their immediate area and noticed a couple of things. First, there were tiny red fragments scattered along the ground but it wasn't anyone's blood. After closer inspection, I realized they were only shattered red sunglasses they must've worn before I took a shot that grazed them. That explains why I confused them with Seraphim because they were all black and seemingly had red visors. Nope, just black fur, and red sunglasses. Luckily for them, my shot didn't kill and narrowly passed before their very eyes. Second, there was a burning picnic basket with scorched food items spilled all over the place and the only thing I could make out were the crumbled muffins and crushed fruit all covered in ash particles.

My helmet's HUD classified these wolves as a threat and warned me of imminent danger but this world was different. These wolves didn't seem to have any desire to attack but I attacked them first. Judy finally caught up from behind and placed her paws over her mouth in absolute fear over what I had just done.

The male wolf opened his eyes, looked at me in horror, and desperately lifted his paw up.

 _"_ Nooo! P-Please! Please don't!"

"Please! We have a child!" the female wolf whimpered.

Under their protective arms, I could see a young-looking black wolf cub who was about seven or eight years old curled up and shaking in fear. Oh, no, what the devil have I done? I almost killed this innocent family in cold blood.

"Please sir! W-We beg of you!! Please don't do this!" 

"Spare us!!"

"Cheribim!" Judy shouted from behind while she ran in front of me to protect the family. "Put your gun down now!" 

"Officer Hopps?! Is that really you?" the female wolf cried in joy.

"Yes ma'am, it's me!"

"Watch out officer!! He's right there!"

Judy firmly stood between me and them. "It's okay! I won't let him hurt you!"

Realizing my weapon was still aimed at the three of them, I lowered it slightly and didn't know what to say. Now we had a bunny protecting three wolves and that never happened in my world. Ever. It was hard for me to process everything but guilt swept over me like a huge tsunami. Immediately, I lowered my weapon all the way down and slowly backed away from the family until I was seven feet away.

I fumed. " _What have I done_?"

I collapsed my weapon particles down until my suit fully absorbed them. I lifted both gauntlets before my face and stared at them as if they came from a monster. After shaking my head, anger and guilt were boiling inside, I clenched my fists, and threw a powerful venting punch at the nearby tree that split the trunk in half.

Afterward, I placed both fists on top of my helmet and still couldn't believe what I just did. It was partially my fault even though my helmet's warning system happened to be the boy who cried wolf. I wouldn't let this happen again so I quickly deleted 'wolves' from the list of potential threats along with a few other related predators to stay safe. While I was tinkering with my helmet, they all kept staring at me in a worried fashion like I was going to pull out another magical surprise from my hat. Luckily, the bunny was there to keep them calm and that didn't require a magic trick.

I had to say something but wasn't sure what to say. These were talking wolves for crying out loud and it was the last thing I expected to find on our run today. Wasn't this place called BunnyBurrow and not WolfBurrow? I suppose it's a tourist destination and these woods are beautiful after all. Either way, I had some serious explaining to do.

"Look! What I did... I...I thought you were someone else... and... Argh! I'm sorry!"

I tried to get closer to them and crouched down but they kept crawling away from me backward in a panic until they were stopped by another tree. They looked at me like I was some Slenderman with five blue eyes who was about to attack again. They hid behind Judy and she gave me a stern stare while holding up her paw in defense. She at least knew me better and had the confidence to confront me but the wolves behind her were well beyond scared.

"Stop. You...you don't have to run..." I said calmly.

"Get away from us!" the wolf mother growled. 

"S-Stay back! D-Don't come near us!"

I took one step closer.

"Stop in the name of the law!" Judy ordered.

The bunny took a step back with slight fear in her eyes and her nose twitching but said nothing more. With one paw in front of her, she had another paw on her away hip as if she were giving the illusion of having a gun. Which, of course, we both knew she didn't. She should've remembered that I was a soldier but she probably didn't think about the nano-weaponry I had up my sleeve.

What a mess, I thought. My whole life I've feared the Seraphim soldiers and now I was the fountain source of that fear. Even with my weapon put away it didn't drain away their great anxiety so I tried to act as friendly as possible. This wasn't going to be easy.

I started with extending my arm out to help the family up. Of course, they wouldn't take my hand but I kept it stretched anyway and waited.

"I won't hurt you. I promise. Please forgive me."

Nothing happened but I had nowhere else to go so I continued waiting for something to happen. They all looked at each other while trying to figure out what to do next. It's as if they knew they were trapped and wouldn't bother running because I could hit them from a distance. Of course, I would never do such a thing but I had to consider the possibilities on what was going through their heads.

If it came to it then I would let them go and not bother but they stayed in the same spot. My arm was getting tired, my heart was broken to see Judy as terrified as the canines, and yet I kept waiting for them to respond.

"I promise," I reiterated. "You have my word. No harm will come."

The three black wolves looked to Officer Hopps for answers and I too did the same thing. However, I didn't want her to feel compelled so I ended up staring back at the wolves while also looking to the ground to avoid uncomfortable eye contact. After what we've been through, there's no way Judy would suggest running away from me because an alien such as myself can't be on the loose.

She continued to monitor me for sudden movements but I wouldn't make any. Enough time had passed so I decided to take action. 

"Here, the longer we sit, the more awkward this gets." I declared while slowly standing up. "Yes, my social skills need work. Please accept my apology... _Please._ "

The wolf father raised one of his ears in awareness and seemed to consider my words. He looked back at his family, they didn't say anything, so he looked at Officer Hopps for approval. She only gave him a tiny hesitant nod and then he returned his glance towards me.

"Y-You're not going t-to... hurt us... or anything?" 

I shook my head

"No," I firmly replied while choking up. "Swear my life."

I reextended my hand out to help him off the ground and he must've been thrown off by my extra fifth digit. Without asking any more questions he immediately clasped his paw with mine, albeit tentatively, and I pulled him up so that he could stand. Goodness, his paws were massive for they were almost the same size as mine! Even though I was over a foot taller than him, he was quite large in stature for being young, especially when he stood up on his hind legs. He was wearing a short-sleeved red checkered shirt and shorts that were either grey or black colored but I couldn't tell because of the ashes.

"Again, I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again." I tried to sound as sincere as I could muster.

He didn't say anything and only gave me a nervous nod. Behind him, I could see Judy helping the mother and child stand up and making sure they were alright. The father briefly looked back at them and then slowly back to me.

"It-It's okay. I think my family and I...are okay."

"Forgive me."

"D-don't worry. We... we forgive you."

"If you want to press charges you have Officer Hopps here."

"That...that won't be necessary sir. You s-spared us and that's what's most important."

I sighed. "Believe me, what I did back there wasn't scripted so let's start over." I took a deep breath. "The name's Cheribim."

He tilted his head. "W-Who?"

"Cheribim, that's my name." 

"Cher-Cheribim?"

"Yes... or Cherry for short." I recalled the name given by the bunnies.

"Oh, right, I see. ...Nice to meet you." he shakes my hand with both paws. "I'm Howl. Jay Howl." 

"It's a pleasure."

"W-We're the Howl family. M-My wife over there, she's Jamie. And my son here, his name is Joseph."

Jay brought his son in front of him and presented him to me. His wife was to the side of him but she clenched Jay's arm for protection. I gave them an awkward wave and they didn't seem too pleased to see me. They must've thought that their father was crazy but I admired his bravery and willingness to forgive such a terrible act I did back there.

"Oh, uh, d-don't worry about them," Jay commented. "They... or, better yet, 'we' are a little shy but I usually do all the t-talking." 

"So, you're Jay Howell?"

"Oh, no, no, not Howell, it's Howl." 

"Right, Howell."

"No, Howl."

"That's... what I just said."

"Oh, no. Y-You said Howell but it's legally pronounced as Howl with only one L. N-Not two." 

"Wait," Judy cut in. "If you're Jay Howl, are you familiar with Officer Wolfard?"

"W-Wolfard? Ah, yes! I know him. He and I were good friends in High school but... h-how did you make the connection?" 

Judy smiled. "Remember Gazelle's concert from four months ago?"

Their eye lit up, including the father. "Oh, yes, I do! That was fun!"

"Right!? It was a blast! And actually, when the officers and I arrived at the event, Officer Wolfard was looking for you. He told us your name but we never actually saw you so I wrote your name down on the ZPD group guestlist. Did you and your family make it to the center stage section okay?"

"We did! Though we arrived a little late we did make it. A-And wow, thank you for doing that."

"My pleasure! I'm glad you all made it."

"And you have a g-good memory too, Officer Hopps."

"Ha! It comes with the job."

"I-I bet! I'm sure it served you well when finding those fourteen missing mammals. M-My family and I have always admired your heroism Officer and you've done so much for Zootopia."

As Jay was pulling his family in together side by side for an embrace, I could see them smiling brightly at Judy and looking up to her. Well, technically looking down at her since she was shorter in height but they did look up to her in a 'figurative' sense. It was nice to know that this world had heroes and an appreciation for cops, unlike my previous world.

 _"_ Aww, thank you, guys! But I wasn't alone and couldn't have done it without my partner Nick." 

"N-Nick? You mean Officer Nick Wilde?"

"Yep! That's him," she proudly smiled.

"Oh, Officer Wilde! We remember him." Jamie, the female wolf commented. "A few weeks ago, he bought our son Joseph some icecream in Savannah Central."

Judy became blushed. "Really? Aww, that's so sweet of him!"

Judy and I looked down at young Joseph who was shyly fidgetting with his wolf paws while a happy grin came to his face as if the ice cream was in fact delicious.

"Yes! P-Please tell him thanks again from the Howl family next time you see him."

"I sure will! Oh, and speaking of which, Nick was also at the concert with me and I think he accidentally snapped a picture of you Jay with my phone. It might've been a photobomb. Let me check!" Judy pulled out her phone. 

"Uh-oh," Jay lightly chuckled. "Th-This could be interesting..."

"Sorry, my phone's all beat up. My partner 'accidentally' dropped it while taking a selfie but somehow it still works despite the large dent on the side!"

In my head, I was thinking that at least the glass screen wasn't cracked which was impressive enough for an Apple iPhone, or Carrot iPhone, whatever the heck they called them here. Handheld phones were quite primitive compared to my world because you had to hold them to use them whereas in my world you only had to 'think' about it.

Judy rapidly scrolled through the pictures with her bunny paw and we all crowded around her small screen. Too bad she didn't have a hologram card or anything of that sort but it probably hasn't been invented in this world yet. She had so many photos that it probably took three minutes to scroll through them all. She showed us a few here and a few there until she finally got to the photo she was looking for.

"There!" She pointed at the photo while giggling. "I thought you were there somewhere, haha! Oh cheese and crackers, look at Chief Bogo and Clawhauser dancing next to you! That's so funny!"

I glanced at the picture and thought that those were some weird-looking animals. A water buffalo and a cheetah dancing together was a bit of a strange combination but it was probably to be expected in an anthropomorphic world such as this one. Speaking of strange, the three wolves started to rapidly pant as if they were laughing.

"Where's Jay?" I asked.

"He's right there. See?" Judy draws a blue circle around him.

"Oh, that's you?"

"That's us alright."

"You look so happy, sweetie," Jamie commented. "Aww, look how little Joseph was!" 

Jay warmly smiled. "We were happy to be there with everyone."

"Looks like you had fun." I nodded awkwardly.

'W-We did have fun! Have you b-been to a concert before sir?"

I thought for a moment then replied. "Once, but not Gazzle's." 

"Gazzle?!" Judy surprisingly asked with a head tilt.

I nodded. "Right, the one you all went to. Gazzle."

"Ha-ha-ho... No," she corrected. "Actually, that's Gazelle." 

"Who's that?" I asked.

They all gasped and frantically looked at each other before looking back at me. "What!?" Jamie questioned.

"Surely, you c-can't be serious, sir."

"You're crazy Cherry, just crazy!" the little wolf jokingly shook his furry head.

"I'm serious..." I defended. "...and don't call me... crazy."

"She's only the greatest singer 'and ' the most famous pop star in all of Zootopia! How do you not know her?"

"Yeah, what planet are you from?"

I was shocked to hear that uttered phrase and initially thought it was Judy but I turned and it was actually the little black wolf cub, named Joseph, who said that. With a small smirk under my helmet, I shot him a stare and politely raised a Han Solo finger at him.

"Now... listen here. You're in the presence of someone who's memorized all the songs to the Imagine Dragons concert." I recalled, thinking of that virtual concert I attended years ago before my world was destroyed.

Once again, they all gave me perplexed stares and I felt that I should've kept my mouth shut. I was trying to feel normal by sharing my small passion for music; however, in this world, it was instead making me feel less normal compared to everyone else. Jay stood there scratching his ears and trying to process my 'excellent taste' for music.

"D-Dragons?" Jay stammered. "They have dragons where you're from?" 

"No, no, it's not like Berk or anything."

"B-Berk?" 

"What's Berk?"

"It's probably the name of his planet."

I cringed at the thin ice I was on. That kid was onto me. "Nevermind guys! It's just a made-up place from a movie."

"I-Is that why they call it Imagine Dragons?" 

"No, no, it's just..." I sighed. "..It's just a band."

"Do you have any pictures from that concert Cherry? We'd love to see them."

"No Judy, I left my 'iPhone' at home. Remember?" I gave her a slight nod, hoping she'd understand the reference from before. 

"Right!" she whispered while winking back and giving a thumbs up. "Cherry hardly uses his phone."

The family gave both of us a funny look but they mostly gave it to me since I was probably the strangest one in these parts of town. Jay continued to monitor me, tilted his head, and lift his ear like most canines do when they're curious about something.

"S-Sir? If you don't mind me asking, w-where are you from exactly? I d-don't think I've come across your species before."

"Me neither," Joseph added. "Except in video games, maybe."

"And are you predator or prey?" the mother asked.

I shrugged. "Both, I guess."

"Both!?" the wolves gasped in unison.

I scratched the back of my head. "Um, yes?"

"So you eat j-just about everything from dairy, fruits, nuts, cereals, p-proteins, vegetables, and artificial meats? All the above?"

"Wow, that'd be both sides of the menu at most Zootopian restaurants," Jamie whispered.

"Umm, sure, let's... let's go with that." I shrugged while wondering what the heck they meant by artificial meats. It sounded gross but I assumed it was like eating hotdogs. Yuck.

"S-So what species would you be then? M-my humble apologies sir but you seem different..." he examined me from head to toe. "...Really different."

"That's because he's an alien daddy."

"Joseph!" the mother rebuked. "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

And I thought this family was shy but they were getting too warmed up, especially the young wolf cub Joseph. He was cute, I'd give him that, but I had a bone to pick with him. He was going too far and I had to do something but wasn't sure what I could do.

"Well Jo-Jo," as I placed my gauntlets on my hips. "I take great umbrage that you'd think that of me."

The mother gave her son a strong glare and he stared at the ground with a downhearted look. I felt bad so I took a step forward and took a knee.

"I'm kidding," I continued. "But I do suffer from a chronic case of... ... scleroderma."

"O-Oh, dear, I'm so sorry sir." 

"My goodness..."

"What does that mean mommy?"

The mother crouched down to whisper into Joseph's ear.

"Wait, that's what it is?" Joseph looked surprised and his mother gave a nod. "Ooh, I really really am sorry, sir!" 

"It's okay, kid,"

"Oh, yes, it's kind of tragic actually!" Judy joked while sounding overly dramatic. "Poor Cherry here has had it for many years and his pyrotechnic desires in the forest aren't helping too much either, as you've already witnessed."

While she was leaning on my lower calf, she teasingly pointed towards the vaporized tree in which smoke was still visible from earlier. Everyone, including me, glanced in that direction and I looked down at the ground, slowly shook my head, and did a facepalm in shame.

I sighed again. " ...Yeah, I know. That was me." 

"D-Don't worry about it!"

"It happens."

"We survived and...well... now we can tell everyone that we survived a...um...lightning strike! Yeah, lightning strike. T-That sounds about right! However, it's too bad that we lost the blueberry muffins, the freshly harvested fruit, the homemade oats, and the fresh-baked meatloaf. It took a couple of days to get it all together and now it's all in, well, ashes. Other than that, I don't think anything else was destroyed..."

"Don't forget the red sunglasses daddy!" Joseph added. "Grandpa Wolfenlich gave you those on your 27th birthday last month. They were limited edition too."

"O-Oh, yeah, that's right son... I, uh, I forgot about those." Jay scratched the back of his head. "That's true... and they d-don't make them anymore."

Judy placed both paws over her mouth and let out a big "Oof" and all I could of think was _Wow, way to rub it in kid_

"B-But, that's okay son." Jay continued. "They were a little tight on my head anyway. As far as food goes, it can all be replaced, right Jamie?" He turned to his wife, smiled, patted her on the shoulder, and then turned to face Judy and me. "I th-think meeting the famous Officer Hopps and making two new friends is a good trade."

"You really think that?" I asked with doubt. It was hard to believe he'd feel that way after the fact that I almost ended his life including his family.

"Of-of course sir!"

"Look," I remarked. "That's flattering but I can only half agree with you."

His light grin converted into a slight frown and then he gave me a worried face. "Why-why do you think that?"

"Because Judy's a true friend, look at her," I gestured. "She put her life on the line for you guys. But for me, I put everyone here in danger."

"But that was before you knew us," he commented. "A-And yet, here we are! We're all in one piece."

Still feeling slightly discouraged, I sat down on the rotting log behind me and tested to make sure it wouldn't collapse under my own weight. After all, I've already committed enough blunders for the day as it was. Before I shot this family, I didn't know who they were at the time but I still felt bad. However, given that I knew this family much better now and how gentle they were, I felt deep remorse.

I was sure glad that they were alive but I almost killed them and it pained my soul greatly with a heavy burden. Today could've been their last day on this planet and there's no way I could forgive myself for such a close call. Had I aimed a few more degrees to the left they would've been goners for sure.

In my world, an act like this would not only slam you with a barrage of strong curse words from the victim but also a violent retaliation from the victims themselves. There was no justice or mercy, just vengeance. No empathy or sympathy, just supremacy. The Seraphim were vengeful creatures who thrived on this but the three black wolves did none of that. Black wolves in general, especially in many movies from my world, were often portrayed as evil, vengeful, deceitful, and ravenous animals but the Howl family was none of that. They were the complete opposite of what I initially thought they were and I felt so wrong about them.

While staring at the ground, I heard someone stepping closer to where I was.

"H-Hey," Jay comforted while fist-bumping my shoulder "No harm done! W-We're okay Mr. Chair, sir." He then shook out his paw because I knew he hurt himself when he tapped my armored shoulder. Even though he hid the pain well, it was still evident that I hurt others without having to do anything. Story of my life.

Nevertheless, I couldn't help but look up at him and smile as if he were a friend but he probably couldn't tell with my mask. However, it seemed that my head nod alone was an indicator to him that he did brighten my mood slightly so it's as if he knew I cracked a small smile.

One thing I noticed about Jay is that he sure stammered a lot. Not sure why but perhaps it was a medical condition or something he was born with. At the outset, I thought he was nervous to be around me but apparently, that's how he always talks. Yes, he may stammer but he was sure a nice wolf who kept his cool even when life got, rough, rough. The rest of his family was shy and yet they shared many of his admirable attributes.

Being in the outdoors, being with this group of people, well, animals, was a good change in pace compared to the last few weeks before my planet's collapse. If only some of my people made it here then at least they could experience a better world instead of ending their lives on a loud, destructive note. They were gone and it was something I had to accept. Judy was right though because If I were to be the last one then I'd better set a good example for my species. In other words, end things on a good note.

"Jay?" I called to break the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"S-Sure, anything Mr. Cherry, sir."

"Cherry is fine. There's no need to call me sir."

"Oh, okay."

"So," Jamie cut in. "Your real name is Cherry- _bun_?"

"Close enough."

"Mom, it's Cher-E-beam," Joseph proudly declared with his arms folded. "See? He responds when I call him that."

"Oh, Joseph," Jamie said while rolling her eyes. "Don't be silly."

"S-Son, it's Cheribim." Jay assured him, which was impressive that he got my name right. 

"Yes, Mr. Jay Howell is correct." I complimented.

"You mean Howl," Judy reiterated with a slight smile.

"And Jay is fine, " Jay jokingly corrected. "T-There's no need to call me Mr."

I looked at all three of them and playfully rolled my eyes. "Very funny," I half-chuckled. "Now, uh, where was I?"

"Y-You were going to ask me...something."

"Ah, yes, I remember now." I thought about it for a moment and suddenly recalled what I was going to ask. "So, Jay, I was wondering... how do you do it?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Like, how are you...rather, how are you... 'and' your family... so quick to forgive?" 

"Q-Quick to forgive?"

"Right, how is it that you and your family are able to forgive someone such as me so easily?"

Jay held a paw up to his chin and seemed to think about it for a moment before responding.

"Cherry, th-that's a good question. It's a b-bit of a long story but I will say this. My father always taught me that forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. The weak can n-never forgive. We've had our t-trials, especially as predators living in Z-Zootopia. We've had o-other animals who've caused us g-grief without apologizing, unlike you, but forgiveness isn't approving what happened but it's choosing to r-rise above it. It's not e-easy and it's d-definitely not quick but it's the only way to become strong. As wolves, w-we believe in strength as a pack and it all starts with the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack."

"And a strong pack is a strong family" Jamie happily declared, walked over to Jay, and put her paw around him. While they somehow kept smiling brightly, Joseph popped his little head out from between his parents and gave me a silly but a mockingly playful stare. "That's right! It'll take more than that to take down the Howl family!"

Out of the blue, the kid started howling as if it were some kind of war cry. Okay, I thought. We've got ourselves a cute little howler now. He kept howling and howling and his parents were getting excited.

"C-Careful Joseph, you're going to start a howl." the father smiled.

"Can't help it!" Joseph teased while continuing to howl.

All of a sudden, Jay was starting to howl in unison with his son and 'Good Grief!' he was sure loud. He made the whole forest echo and it felt like listening to a Halloween movie on surround sound. They kept going and going and the wife Jamie also joined in the howl and all three black wolves were cheerfully howling as one united unit. My goodness, I thought. I had this belief that wolves only howled at night but I was mistaken.

I never would've guessed what happened next.


	12. An Uncommon Enemy

If the howl was only contagious among wolves, think again, because it was contagious enough to convince a bunny like Judy to start howling alongside them. For her species, she actually made a good enough impression that caught me off guard.

I sat there and continued to listen to them howl for the next three minutes. At times, it was spooky, adorable, or quite fascinating. They tried to get me to howl but I didn't want to ruin the moment. They kept insisting so I cupped my hands over my mouth and pretended to howl.

"C'mon Cherry, give us a howl!" Judy encouraged.

Because she asked, I tried to give a small howl alongside the family but I kept sounding like a broken jukebox. Even after my feeble attempt, I was getting tired but they kept going and going to a point that I didn't know when they'd ever stop.

We all sat on the tree log, enjoyed each other's company, and the black wolf family let out a breath of relief.

"Ahhh... th-that never gets old!" said Jay, stretching his neck.

"Never does!"

"Our ancestors would be so proud!"

"Oh, I'm sure they would!" Judy cheerfully commented. "It's hard to keep up with you guys."

"You great, Officer Hopps. Where on Earth did you learn to howl?" Jamie asked. "You sound just as good as my sister when she howls."

"Aww, you're sweet!" Judy blushed. "We actually have many ZPD wolves who teach us a thing or two about howling."

"Now you can tell Officer Wolfard you've p-passed the beginner's course." Jay smiled. 

Jamie then gave me a silly concerned look. "And when you're able, you can help Cherry improve his howling."

"Yeah!" Joseph added with a toothy grin. "And I thought Omegas were bad howlers."

His mother then shot him a scowl.

"What?" he innocently shrugged. "It's true, mom."

He's right," Judy teased. "Gotta learn your howls,"

"It's on the bucket list," I joked. "Right after I learn my _'roar'_ first."

All four of them briefly gave me a blank stare. 

Then we resumed talking about a number of things such as the ZPD, whatever that was; the howling; the city of Zootopia, wherever that was; and a couple of other things that I zoned out on. Zootopia, I kept hearing that name. It must've been a popular city but I've never been there. Was it like Dinotopia but with animals instead of dinosaurs? Was it a giant zoo? They say New York was like a jungle so I wonder if Zootopia was similar in nature. Judy would have to show me a picture of it sometime because I was getting curious. All I knew was that she must've worked there and was well known among its citizens.

As they continued, they tried to include me in the conversation and began to ask questions about where I was from. Judy already knew the real answer but she was kind enough to help me adapt my answers in a way that would fit into this planet's narrative. Some of the things she said about my home were improvised and sounded a bit ridiculous but at least the Howl family bought it, which is the most important thing to stay discreet. Basically, we both told them that I was a polar bear who grew up in a cold dark place of Tundra Town on block #77, lived under the ice bunker my whole life, worked from home in a science laboratory studying astrophysics and horology until the room collapsed on itself, escaped, and then got into pyrotechnics for some odd reason.

" ...and that's how he ended up here, pretty crazy, huh?" Judy continued while elbowing my forearm because she thought I was falling asleep.

Jamie tilted her head. "Wow, crazy indeed."

"I-I must say, we never would've expected that," Jay commented. "We're s-so sorry about your lab Cherry. Did you m-make it out alright?"

"Yes, _barely_ made it,"

"We-we're glad you came out intact."

"And you have a new hobby too I guess," Jamie added while clasping her paws together. "Next time, please please be careful with that...lightning rod thingy...whatever it was."

"Trust me, I will," I assured while hoping to divert the topic away from guns. "And speaking of hobbies, what do you enjoy?"

"We love soccer!" Jay lit up with excitement. "It's our family's all-time favorite s-sport! We play it at reunions, pack gatherings, and with the scouts. Hiking is our second favorite!"

"That's why we're out here today," Jamie remarked. "As a family, we try to go once every weekend to get out of the city and rekindle our wolven instincts. BunnyBurrow always has p-plenty of good hiking spots! But for me though, I personally prefer to play volleyball."

Jay proudly wrapped an arm around Jamie's shoulders. "Sh-She was a big star on the High School v-varsity team! Right honey?"

"Yep!" she nodded proudly. "You can bet your fur that I was! That, I'll humbly admit."

"Mommy?" Joseph tugged on her arm. 

"Yes, sweetie?"

"All this howling and yapping is making me hungry. Can we get some food?"

The parents glanced at each other as if they felt the same and then they gazed back at the burning tree. I looked with them and realized that they were surveying the sad burning remains of their deliciously prepared picnic that I ruined for them. Hopefully, they wouldn't resort to eating me. Instead, they both simply shrugged with their paws.

"Joseph, I-I don't think we'll be able to. W-We'll have to wait until we get home." 

The mother rubbed his head. "I'm sorry sweetie."

I lowered my head. "Me too, kid."

There was a brief moment of silence in the forest meadow area and it seemed like we were all facing a common enemy here and that was hunger. It made me think of how scarce food was on our planet when all the industrial factories shut down due to a lack of workers following COVID (Coalition Organized Vanguard Indoctrination Divisions) which led many to follow the wicked cause that was funded by the Seraphim themselves. Thus, we had to be frugal and we had to plan things out accordingly to prevent starvation in those trying times. My species was wasteful in our prime days for we had all the food in the world that we could feast upon and never worry about shortages.

However, after the wars and the outbreaks, we were down to mere scraps that often required being fought over. With the Seraphim requiring higher calorie diets than most, the situation only made them all the more aggressive and vicious towards others. What I did back there with the wolves was an example of something that a Seraphim soldier would do on my world in order to survive. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing nor who I was shooting at but it still made me feel like a wasteful creature because I completely decimated a perfectly good food supply.

While I was pondering, I noticed at the corner of my eye that Judy's big ears suddenly perked up.

"Hey! I've got an idea! How about we all go and get smoothies together? My treat!"

Little Joseph's wolf ears shot straight up. "Ooooh, really?"

All the wolves were panting in excitement and rapidly wagged their tails. 

"Absolutely!" Judy cheered.

"Let's do it!"

"Y-Yes, let's do this!

"Sweet, I know a good place and it's not far from here." 

"Let's go then!"

"Yeah, what are we waiting for?" Joseph playfully whined. 

"I'm down," I added.

"B-But Officer Hopps, don't worry about paying. I-I can pay for my family."

"Nah, don't sweat it. I know the owner and she gives me a local discount. It's not a problem."

"O-Okay then, that sounds great! Thank you so much."

"Of course! Let's head over and we can talk along the way."

"We'll follow you officer."

"Please, you can call me Judy." They all smiled and then I and the three wolves followed the bunny.

Judy led the way out of the meadow and the four of us began to follow her. I didn't know where we were or where we were even going but she seemed to know what she was doing. We were surrounded by tall, elegant trees on all sides which made me wonder; who would have a smoothie shop in the middle of a forest? Then again, who wouldn't? This place was beautiful.

Perhaps there was a public road nearby but we'd have to wait and see. For now, it was all a dense forest and I enjoyed being here with great company. Judy and I ran into this forest so it was nice to just settle at a walking pace because it allowed us to finally enjoy the surrounding scenery. Here, it was much better than Central Park and I found it to be just as beautiful as the Redwood Forest of California, albeit with much smaller trees.

Within a couple of minutes, we found a straight, narrow dirt trail and followed it downhill. The ground felt like carpet and the trail was barely visible but it became more distinct as we pressed further on. It wasn't a well-traveled trail like the ones found back on Earth-77 mostly because there were no human hiking boots/shoes to ruin it with the treading. My boots, in particular, had good treading so I feared that I might ruin the trails but at the same time I'm not going to tip-toe my way out of these woods.

Due to the thin trail, we couldn't really walk side by side so we ended up walking in a single file line while still staying close to one another. Miraculously enough, we passed by a couple of beautiful waterfalls along the way and felt their refreshing mist. Judy was leading us from the front, Joseph and Jamie were right behind her, Jay was behind his wife, and I was right behind Jay. I realized that we were coincidentally in order from the shortest in front, which was Judy, to the tallest in the back, which was me. As we traveled the trail we gradually split into two groups while still staying in each other's sight. The first group in front was Judy, Jamie, and Joseph who were chatting about something that I couldn't really understand. They were laughing, joking, and appeared to be having a good conversation while Jay and I were in our own group towards the back. We didn't really say much to each other but

we gave each other awkward nods here and there and I tried my best to not step on Jay's big fluffy tail. How in the world does he sit down with that thing? I don't think I could stand having a tail. Suddenly, one of Jay's ears perked up.

"W-What was that?" Jay asked looking back at me.

"Nothing," I replied, realizing that I must've thought too loud. "All is well, Jay." "Oh, okay. I-I thought I heard something."

"What'd you hear?"

"Umm, I'm not really s-sure... ...but that's okay! I'm probably just going c-crazy," he nervously chuckled. "I-It sure is nice out, isn't it?"

I slowly inhaled and exhaled the fresh pine air all around us. Even with my helmet on, I could appreciate the splendid scents of nature and it all smelt like a high quality organic woodland candle. "Couldn't agree more."

We both continued walking without much talk because Jay and I were both the type that enjoyed the tranquility of nature. On the other hand, Judy and the other two wolves sounded like they were chatting up a storm. Fortunately, they were reverent enough and weren't overly loud which I respected for someone who loved to talk. After a few moments of quiet sightseeing, Jay turned around again.

"So Cheribim, do you... ...do you have a family?"

It's been a while since someone's asked me that question. The last time I remembered, it was back when I was signing up for the military. Technically, it wasn't a live human who was asking me that question; rather, it was a combat robot who was conducting the draft interviews. The droid could care less what my answer was for he worked only on bits, 1 and 0, and only wanted a yes or no answer. He didn't care who was in my family, how many of us there were, or even how long I was married. The only reason he was programmed to ask that question was to gather data on whether having a family would affect my efficiency on the battlefield. If I had a family then I was considered likely to be unstable because I would miss them, think about them, and be distracted by them. If I had no family at all then I was considered someone who would stay focused and not have anything to lose.

When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose. After all, the most dangerous creature was the man who had nothing to lose. That's what our society wanted. They wanted someone who had no fear of losing anything and was willing to take risks and easily give up his/her life if necessary. Not only was this a crucial trait sought after in soldiers but also in time travelers because both war and time travel does not come with a guarantee.

Thus, we were a society that believed more heavily on logic than emotion. It got us far and it took us well beyond the stars but, deep down, we never really had something worth fighting for. Technology got stronger, but we got weaker and we lost our morals. We built computers, robots, whole unmanned armies, but no one ever asked 'What happens when we lose our purpose?" I felt like families helped us achieve our purpose and that was evident on this planet. They didn't have the technology nor power as we did but many here had families and knew the importance of them. That alone made them strong.

This time, Jay was sincere and wanted to know if I had a family. He wasn't a talking robot, he was a talking wolf and he was patiently waiting for me to answer. The longer I took to respond, the increasingly concerned his stare got so I had to tell him something. In fact, I did have a family, back in the simulations, and I loved them with all my heart. When I woke up in the futuristic timeline, I couldn't bear to bring a real family into a cruel dark world because they didn't deserve to suffer. They were better off roaming as free spirits in the pre-world status so that they could be born into a better situation. I wasn't sure how it all worked but I did what I thought was best and decided to not have a family. Thus, I gave that robot the same answer that I was about to give Jay.

"No," I lamented. "I don't have a family."

Both of Jay's ears slowly fell downward. "Oh... you... you don't?" "No... nothing."

His countenance fell and filled with sadness. "N-No family photos? None of that?" he asked. 

"I am my family photo."

"B-But Cherry..." he continued, sounding nearly disappointed. " ...everyone needs a family to love."

I kept thinking about what he said and knew he was right but I couldn't tell him about my simulated family. It just wouldn't work. It was too long of a story with too much emotion behind it. To me, having a family in my former cruel world wasn't worth it because bringing souls to Earth meant that they'd be subject to temptations, trials, and unnecessary pain. Instead, I tried to toughen up and keep my chin high.

"I could never find time for love," I explained. "It's too heavy. It's an anchor that drowns. Besides, I got my job, my health, this forest, the smell of gun exhaust, and my protective suit."

"A loner?"

"No. I own it."

He stood there for a moment, thinking about what to say, and then he continued walking down the trail again. "I-I see I'm gonna have to work on you. Family is m-my life and I know that they always b-bring me happiness. I c-can probably convince you that it's not too heavy of a load as you-you'd think."

"It might take a while."

"M-Maybe. But, uh, I... I would like t-to get to know you better."

"Me too Jay. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Oh, um, I'm not sure where to s-start... w-what would you like to know?" "Well, what do you do for a living?"

"R-Right now, I work as a lawyer, an employment lawyer in the downtown d-district of Sahara Square in Zootopia. I perform m-many functions but right now I-I've been advocating for predator's and prey's rights in the workforce."

"Ooh, nice. How long have you been doing that?"

"A-About three years, well... almost three years, heh. Th-thing is Cherry, I originally graduated with an engineering degree b-but I was undecided on my future so I-I decided to study law and got m-my major in that. S-so far, I like it and th-think it's a good fit for me but sometimes I s-still feel undecided. As they s-say, I used to be undecided b-but now I'm not so sure," he lightly howled in laughter.

"You're a double major?"

"Y-yes, I suppose so, heh."

"Overachiever," I joked and we both lightly laughed. "That's impressive."

"Heh, I-I got that a lot from my father and friends. B-but I loved school and didn't mind going back. M-Maybe I'll go back again once we're more s-stable, financially. Th-Then again, maybe not."

I shook my head, "I wouldn't."

"Wh-What about you Cherry? D-Did you go to college?" "Sure did."

"W-Wow, what did you graduate in?" "Mathematics."

"M-Mathematics? Th-That's awesome my friend!"

"Thank you Jay."

"I-I could never do mathematics. K through 9 and that's all I could do in grade school. Wow! You...you must be smart." "Oh please, you're the one who has the double major."

"B-But a math major is impressive my friend! Imagine all the th-things you could do with it." "Anything besides teaching," I smirked.

"F-From what you told us, it s-sounded like you used it a lot in your bunker."

"Aye, for data analysis," I remarked. "But the tunnel collapsed so I decided to move on and use it to... well... play with pyrotechnics, measure lightning heat patterns... as I just irresponsibly did this morning."

"Wh-What was that by the way? If-If you don't mind me asking." "What do you mean?"

When you... sh-shot us...accidentally, of course... You...you were h-holding something in your paws but then... it vanished."

"Well, you can think of it as... a lightning rod." "A lightning r-rod?"

"That's right."

His face was still turned away and we were still walking down the dirt path in the forest. For how smart Jay was, I knew that he was thinking of something.

"But Cherry... ...I-I feel like... ...that I might know w-what you are."

My chest sank like I was riding a roller coaster only this time I didn't know how things were about to go down from here. I didn't speak a word for I knew that I was only getting myself painted into a corner as I've always had a bad habit of doing lately.

" ...it's just... y-you're too thin for a polar bear." he continued. "And you're different. In-In a good way! But... I've seen many m-mammals at work and you...well...you know what I mean. You're not what we think you are."

"...So you... you figured it out?" I winced.

"N-Not really... It's just...I s-saw it in Judy's eyes and whatever you did back there... It-It was unlike anything I've ever seen. And... It did give you away."

"Yeah," I admitted. "It's a bit hard to walk away from that one." "I-I think we can all agree."

We both peaked forward to see if anyone was listening but we were about thirty-seven feet away from Judy's group so they were still ahead of us and out of range of hearing. Plus, they were still talking to one another so we were safe. Nevertheless, I felt incredibly nervous and felt like I was sweating.

"But Cheribim," Jay continued. "I m-may know what you are but you... y-you don't have to tell me anything. Your secret is safe with me. I... I promise. All this... must be a big ch-change for you... and I understand..."

All I could do was look at the ground and not make eye contact because I felt like I was in big trouble. Had I not fired my gun, I could've gotten away with this, but no, I messed up big time. What was I thinking? Did I honestly think that I could trick an intelligent wolf into thinking I was a polar bear when I nearly blasted his head off with a beam rifle right in plain sight? Absolutely not. I'm such a fool and there was no hiding from it.

Jay walked on my side and placed his big paw on my back shoulder while we continued to walk down the forest pathway.

"D-Don't worry about it." he brightened with a hopeful smile. "The p-past doesn't matter. My family and I...w-we don't look back.

No. Our pack only moves forward. I-I still consider you as a good friend and h-hope you consider me one as well. Y-You spared my family... You were only t-trying to protect Officer Hopps... I-I thought about it for a while and now I know it's true. Thus...I'm going to spare you the worry. I w-won't tell anyone. No one. You have my w-word. Friends h-help each other out."

Never have I heard a creature speak in such a manner so sincere and from the heart that I couldn't believe it. I thought Judy was the only one, especially since I had an orange thrown at me by a bunch of predators yesterday, but I was wrong. I almost didn't want to believe him and tried to convince myself that I shouldn't trust him.

However, that's the thing; I could trust him. I looked into his eyes and he was serious and honest. I knew it was the right thing to do and there was no ounce of doubt left in me. Sometimes, you just know when you can trust someone and it's all a gut feeling.

"Jay...I... I consider you a good friend too." I stammered, not knowing what else to say. After all, a dog is a man's best friend so I

might as well say it. " ...I promise you... that the next time you see the lightning strike... it will be to protect you and your family."

"Y-You'd do that? For us?" "Friends protect each other."

I held out my pinky for a pinky promise but instead, he gave me a strong fist bump while also being careful to not break his own fist.

"L-Let's just hope that it doesn't have to happen again for a while." he nervously laughed. "It was pretty s-scary. We wolves d-don't do well with thunder."

"Don't worry Jay. Going forward, I'm on your side." "Like one strong pack!" he cheered. "Right?" "Sure, you bet!"

To make the mood more casual and fun, I tried to mimic a low howl so I cupped my gauntlets together around my mouth. My howling attempts were feeble but I purposely did it so that Judy's group wouldn't hear us and to also spare the embarrassment. However, Jay tilted his head at me and shook his head in humorous disapproval.

"Heh! Wolves d-don't use their paws to howl, Cheribim. Here! L-Let me show you how it's done!"

Oh, please no, I thought. I was just joking. I tried to stop him but he was already flexing his upper torso, had his arms out, and was howling away like a happy wolf. Within seconds, his family further down the path joined in on the howl and yes, Judy as well.

Dang it! I just started a howl. It was just as loud as the previous howl from earlier and I had the urge to cover my ears but I didn't want to show any disrespect.

"See Cheribim?" he briefly paused while everyone else was howling. "It's all in the lungs...a-and the chest. Watch how I do it."

"No, no, no," I gestured. "You don't have to--"

Too late. He was already dialed in and he continued to howl with the 'Howl' family. They all howled in harmony and it was crazy how synced this family was when it came to howling. They even howled as we continued to walk further down the dirt trail.

My goodness, when would this stop? I'll admit that they had the coolest howl ever but I felt like we were attracting too much attention, perhaps more so than the beam of lightning that I summoned earlier that vaporized the tree. With no other choice, I decided to join them on the howl and there was no way I could match them in pitch and vocal level. Admittedly, it felt great to howl and I never would've imagined myself ever howling in the middle of the forest, and yet, here we were.

It was quite relaxing and had a nice mixture of getting things off your chest while also feeling at one with nature. Over time though, my voice got exhausted and I had to stop for a breather. How long was this going for? Over five minutes? No, I checked my timer and we were only howling for 27 seconds. My, it sure felt longer than that.

While they were howling, I almost wanted to create a pistol with my nanoparticles and fire a loud shot into the air to hopefully keep them quiet. However, I wasn't going to be a trigger happy fool and quickly decided against it.

Instead, I slowly inched my way towards Jay and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, alright, enough howling," I said. "We don't want to scare away the smoothie vendor now, do we?"

He immediately stopped howling, whistled for his family to stop, and turned around. "Ah, yes, y-you're probably right Cheribim. We t-tend to get carried away." he giggled.

"I'll say," I agreed. "But it's in your blood so it's okay."

"Jay?" Jamie called from the front. "Is everything okay back there?" "E-Everything's fine, sweetie!" he answered.

"Did we scare Cheribim?" Joseph sniggered. "Y-Yes, we did son. Just a little bit."

"Wha?" I protested while giving Jay a quick glance. "That's not true." But he only smiled.

"No son, Cheribim d-didn't get scared. I-I was only kidding. Rather, he m-made a very good point that we shouldn't be scaring the smoothie worker."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Judy called from the front. "I know her and she sells to wolves, foxes, and bears all the time so she won't get scared."

"Great!" Joseph cheered. "That means we can resume... ...getting smoothies!"

Thank goodness, I thought. It was about time I agreed with the kid on something. My ears were hurting, my eyes were hurting, and my throat was hurting so a fresh smoothie would definitely hit the spot. Everyone else in our group also seemed quite eager to get their paws on one of those cold smoothies as well. I wondered what the flavors were like here and was hoping that they wouldn't be too foreign to me.

The dirt trail grew wider and wider and I suddenly heard something familiar down the pathway.

...Cars...nice.

We must've been near the public road. I could hear vehicles whizzing by but the trees were thick enough that I still couldn't see them clearly. After about three minutes of walking, we gradually came into view of a long simple roadway that stretched both directions in the forest and there seemed to be a parking lot at the bottom of the trail. There were only a couple of cars parked, maybe three or five, and most of them appeared to be small sedans with various exotic colors. They were pretty strange looking and were models that weren't familiar to me but they did resemble some of the ones I once knew from my previous world. For example, there was one that looked much like a KIA Soul but this one was more vertically stretched and had large painted brown spots all over the body.

As we made our way towards the parking lot we saw a few figures standing near the trailhead entrance which caused Judy to quickly run back to where Jay and I were. She stopped in front of us and pointed at the back of my neck.

"Cherry," she whispered. "Put your hood up."

I forgot that I even had one. Before I could reach back to grab my hood, Jay had already flipped it over and onto my helmet. Now I looked like a Jedi knight, I suppose. One who was one with the force and that force was one with him and that one with him was a force of one with... ...nevermind. Jay gave me a single subtle nod and I nodded back as a way to say thank you.

We approached the trailhead and the figures were actually bunnies, more bunnies, and they were preparing to hike the same trail that we came down from. There was a mother, a father, two little girls, and there was a tiny baby bunny that was sound asleep and tightly cradled in the mother's arms. It was sure a precious little thing.

They all gave us mildly concerned stares until they saw Judy who was happily and confidently leading the way. While we made our way past them, I couldn't help but imagine if Judy were to say the following to them: 'Don't mind me, I'm just a bunny with three black wolves and an interdimensional time-traveling alien following right behind me. Nothing to see here! Just a normal day. Have a good one! Carry on."

Fortunately, Judy didn't say any of that. Instead, she played it casual and simply said "Hi!" to the family of hikers as we walked right past them. They didn't respond but they awkwardly lifted up their paws and waved. In the parking lot, there were other animals such as one lone elderly elk with hiking poles and then a teenage skunk couple. They were all preoccupied with gathering items from their cars so they didn't see us and the rest of the animals who had parked cars must've already been out on the trail. Hopefully, they wouldn't see the vaporized tree I left behind. It was off-trail anyway so it was unlikely that they'd catch it. Even if they did, they'd probably just think of it as a literal lightning strike.

We went past the parking lot and finally made it to the public road. It kept going in both directions as it winded around the trees and it was nice to be back on solid pavement again. The road was small but slightly wider than the one from yesterday and it felt more like a paved trail than a paved roadway. However, I didn't see any smoothie shack in view and it still felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. It was hard to believe that it was already past afternoon for Judy and I started our run quite early this morning.

"Which way do we go now?" I asked. 

"We go North," she replied. "That way."

I looked to where she was pointing at and the road was bending off to the right. For now, it looked promising so we all began to walk in that direction. This time we all walked together and didn't have to walk in a single file line as before since there were hardly any vehicles out on the road.

"H-How far is it Judy?"

"Not far. I'd say about eight more minutes and we'll get there." "Yay!" Joseph cheered.

"O-Oh, really? That's good! If I remember correctly, we p-parked our car about two minutes up this road so I can give us all a lift." "That's right, you did honey," Jamie confirmed.

"Very kind of you, Jay," Judy remarked. "In that case, we'll get there in no time then."


	13. Jerry Cherry

In my head, I thought about how strange it was to see animals driving cars. As for Jay, it was odd to think that a canine would drive a human around and made everything feel so backward. Perhaps I'd be the one to stick my head out the window and enjoy the fresh gust of wind, as any dog would.

All five of us journeyed down the road, we came to the winding turn and behold, we saw a couple of parallel parked cars - big, medium, and abnormally small - along the roadway. They were all about a football field away from each other and I wondered why they were all scattered until I noticed the vast number of trailheads that seemed to stretch for miles.

Could this place be as big as Yosemite? It felt like a resurrected Earth but... without people.

Finally, we made it to the first set of cars and there were about three parked cars per side. To be honest, they were all quite hideous looking and I felt bad for the owners who drove them because they were all just... hideous. The headlights were out of place, some of the cars had two horns - one that made an irritating sound and another one that made it look like an ugly unicorn - the grills made the ones from MonstersInc look decent, the tires were out of proportion, and the colors were terrible. Why would someone pick burnt brown, flushed out pink, faded purple, baby-blue, pea green, pale orange, or beige as a car color? If someone's going to buy an ugly car then they might as well pick out a decent color such as silver, white, grey, red, or any other conservative color.

I was going to verbally express my opinion about these cars but ultimately kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to offend Jay when we came across his car. With abundant minerals on Earth-77, we took great pride in how we designed our vehicles and would go the extra mile to ensure they were perfectly built. Over time, we harvested precious ores from other worlds across the outer edges of the galaxy so this enabled us to construct large vessels, capital ships, and cruisers with as much attention to detail as the human mind could comprehend. Once we took to the air, cars were rendered obsolete.

Even though the creatures on this planet haven't even reached the fifth industrial revolution, I still felt that there was no excuse to build such terrible looking cars. Maybe I was being too hard but these vehicles weren't even aerodynamic or designed to optimize fuel efficiency. When it came to cars, I felt that one could either focus on fuel efficiency and have an ugly car, or more on looks and less on fuel efficiency. Instead, all the cars here were ugly and did not seem fuel-efficient.

Then again, at least their world wasn't polluted.

However, at the corner of my eye, I saw something special. I thought it was a dream or a vision from my past simulations but it wasn't. Rather, it was something that I was hoping to see.

This car was absolutely beautiful for it made all the other cars along the road disappear from my mind. It was a compact, matte black, later mid-size sport utility vehicle with offroading capabilities along with the full suspension. It was completely decked out from front to back and had everything one could ever ask for when it came to being in the outdoors.

If we were still in my world, a vehicle such as this one would be considered fully pristine and placed in an auto museum for safekeeping. I knew what it was but wasn't sure if I could remember the name. It didn't look _exactly_ like the one I remembered but it was so similar. If I'm not mistaken, it was...

... a Toyota 4Runner. A Utah classic, especially in the great outdoors. That state always had the best snow on Earth, at least until it never came back due to global warming. However, this 4Runner was different because the car itself was a bit smaller compared to the ones found back on Earth-77.

Also, the car had two black pointed ears mounted on the roof with one above the passenger window and another above the driver window. The headlights were LED but they had a little yellow bulb in the middle as if it represented eyes. Wait a minute, the overall car itself seemed to represent a wolf.

Of course, this is Jay's car! It had to be. What other animals out here would have an offroading car that resembled a wolf's face? The car was superb and it fit Jay and his family quite well. The pointy ears were a bit much, it wasn't my favorite feature, but at least the rest of the car looked pretty nice.

It seems that most of the animals here patterned their cars after their own looks. For a wolf, that appeared to work out pretty well. However, for other animals such as a pig, a bunny, a sheep, or whatever, it wouldn't work out too well in my opinion. Maybe for them, they'd appreciate their own personal design choice but not me. Could one imagine if humans literally patterned cars after their own looks? Thank goodness we discontinued cars before that ever happened.

As the five of us approached the car, Jay pulled out his keys and began to unlock it. Everyone was putting stuff in the back trunk, chatting, and getting inside but I simply stood there and admired it.

"Y-You like it?" Jay asked.

I solemnly nodded in confirmation and continued to survey the splendid car. It was indeed smaller than the ones found back on Earth-77, about 7/9 the size, but the design was related despite the big wolf ears on top that I would've removed if I had it my way. Maybe as a wolf, I'd keep them; but, as a human, I'd remove them. Other than that, it was pleasing on the eyes.

"Nice Toyota," I complimented.

Jay raised his pointed ear. "Oh, it's n-not a toy. Not a toy exactly. It's my work car." 

"I knew that," I sighed. "What make?"

"Ah, it's a Zooyota Pack-runner."

I was taken back by the foreign name. "Very impressive."

"Th-Thank you Cheribim!"

I walked laps around it and nodded. "Looks intimidating."

"Oh, r-really? You think it... does?" Jay asked, sounding almost sad. " ...It's one of th-the reasons I don't really like it."

His response took me by surprise. "What's not to like?"

"Well, it's a g-great car... it really is! It gets my family and I s-safely from point A to p-point B . I'm grateful to h-have it... but my father picked it out for me after c-college. He wanted to toughen me up s-so he chose this car for me. I-I like it but... I feel like it screams out predator p-pride too much... you know."

"Your father was tough on you?" I wondered.

"...V-Very much so. Tough on me and tough on m-my family. He was like th-the alpha wolf of the howl family. He was a good wolf... I still love him... b-but he doesn't respect others outside the pack. He doesn't like prey or other a-animals but all my friends in s-school were prey and he d-didn't like that."

"I'm sorry Jay."

"It w-was hard. I tried to convince him that p-predators and prey were meant to live in harmony but he w-wouldn't listen. Ever since mother passed away something about h-him... changed. L-Last time I spoke with him, we got in a strong a-argument and we haven't spoken since. It w-was about four months ago after the fourteen missing mammals were found."

"That's a long time."

Jay's face dropped significantly and sadness took over him. "T-Too long, Cheribim. We all really miss him. I try to call him b-but he doesn't answer. I send him a l-letter but he sends it back in shreds. We even w-went to the house but he moved and d-didn't tell us where he went. Last m-month, it was my 27th birthday, I invited him but he didn't c-call or show. M-My son Joseph misses him especially. I-I know my father does as well. A-After all, he is a grandpa now. Those two would always g-go camping together and have so much fun... but not anymore."

I felt sorry for what Jay was going through and didn't know what to say. In the simulated life, I had a father and knew him very well. I missed him and wished that I could talk to him even though he wasn't technically real (I thought he was until I died in the simulation and woke up). In the future timeline, I had a real father but his identity was kept a secret from me so I never got to know him.

I looked at Jay's car again and felt that it resembled more like his father than Jay himself. Jay's father was tough, rugged, and rough whereas Jay was sweet, soft, and understanding. While Jay and I were outside the car, I noticed that Judy and the other two wolves were patiently waiting inside but they didn't seem to mind us talking because they too were busy talking.

"... It's hard Cheribim, it r-really is," Jay continued in a heartbroken voice. "B-But we won't give up on him. We'll keep sending him messages and let h-him know that we still think about him. It's actually why we k-keep the car. It helps us r-remember him... we'll keep using it until w-we see him again. I sure h-hope we do. I really do hope. P-Plus, he's the co-owner so we can't just p-part with it."

"I guess you're stuck with it then, even though it's pretty bad-A." "Heh, I-I suppose so." Jay chuckled halfheartedly.

I lightly placed my gauntlet on his shoulder to try and cheer him up. "But that's okay. Things will work out."

Jay slowly tilted his head up. "You think they will?" he eagerly asked.

I couldn't make any promises or guarantees, especially because I was unfamiliar with how things worked in anthropomorphic worlds such as this one; however, the least any of us could do was to have a small seed of hope, even if it didn't seem like much.

"Don't quote me on it,' I said. "But give it time."

I smiled a little bit under my helmet and Jay seemed to crack a small smile even though he couldn't see my emotions. Because of this, I relied heavily on simple head gestures such as head nods or head tilts to convey my feelings, as I did on my first day here before Judy asked me to remove my helmet. Jay knew it was a helmet but didn't ask me to remove it because it didn't matter in the long run. If he already knew I'm an alien then a new face was just a new face. Though, I'm sure it'd still be a shocker for him to see a real human face.

One of the car windows of the Pack-runner rolled down and it was young Joseph who stuck out his little furry head upside down with his tongue out like a dog.

"C'mon daddy, let's go! Why do adults talk for so long?"

Jay tickled his son on the neck which caused him to playfully roll away in laughter back into the car. He sure was such a silly little wolf cub who was also mischievous, cute, innocent, and fierce-looking, especially with those little canine teeth.

"Well, sh-should we go? I'm getting k-kinda hungry."

"Me too," I agreed. "Let's move."

"Y-You take shotgun Cheribim since you're the tallest."

Jay entered the driver's seat, started the car, I walked over to the passenger side, and carefully opened the door. It was a little cramped inside but I somehow managed to fit myself without scratching the dashboard. The seats were made of fine leather and were quite comfortable to sit on as opposed to an old wooden log from the forest. So far the ride was smooth and handled road dips/bumps pretty well and it was my first car ride on a foreign planet. It took a little getting used to because a dog was technically driving a human but Jay was an excellent driver so I didn't have any doubts about safety. If the roof were upright then I could've sat up straight so I had to arch myself over my knees.

"Wow, you're tall," Joseph observed. "I wish I was that tall."

"When you grow up Joesph, you'll be just as tall as your daddy," Judy smiled. "Maybe even taller!" 

"I sure can't wait!" He said excitedly while wagging his tail.

"As long as he's not so picky at dinner time," Jamie teased while tickling his little ear. "All he ever wants is dessert, right Joseph?" "But Momma, I had raspberry cake last night," he justified. "It had lots and lots and LOTS of raspberries in it so it was healthy!" "Sure, as long as it doesn't have 'cake' in it."

"Aw, c'mon mom. Why do healthy food taste so bad and unhealthy food taste so good?"

"Trust me Joseph, when I was your age, I would ask my mother that all the time!" Judy chuckled. "But now, vegetables are my all-time favorite and look how strong I am now. Boom."

"But that's easy for you to say Judy. You're a bunny."

"Not entirely true sweetie," Jamie corrected. "Your father and I always eat our vegetables with our meats and we love it! It's what makes wolves and bunnies strong. One day, you'll understand."

"Aw, that's no fun!" as he folded his arms in protest.

Honestly, I didn't know wolves also ate vegetables and I was a bit surprised by that. I guess they consumed meat as a primary course whereas vegetables were used as a secondary course to fill in the nutrient gaps that meat didn't offer. Speaking of meat, it was strange to see Judy sitting in the middle between Jamie and Joseph because she looked like a little kid compared to them but that didn't phase her one bit. She sat there confidently among the wolves and they had no desire to eat her because they knew much better than that. It was a testimony to the fact that animals on this planet really did live in harmony with one another.

Too bad the predators had to stick with artificial meats but I'm sure they've gotten used to it by now, especially if this harmony had lasted for the last couple hundred years. It made me think of veggie burgers/fish burgers in which the same/similar taste could be offered while still remaining as a healthy option that didn't increase cholesterol levels. Personally, I always found fish to be cheaper and tastier than steak so it was nice to know that alternative options were always available.

After we drove for the course of three minutes we found ourselves in an area that had a couple of smaller cars, owned by bunnies, parked along the left side of the road. On our right, we saw a medium-sized wooden food stand that was purple in color and it was decorated with hundreds of lilies and daisies. I considered it to be a flower shop until I saw the banner which read, 'BunnyBurryBerry Juices' so this must've been the place.

There were over twenty bunnies who were all well dressed in casual clothing, buying smoothies, and I was worried that a polar bear and three black wolves wouldn't exactly fit in. Luckily, as we pulled in, all the bunnies were already leaving for they all had their smoothies already. They must've been in the same family based on how they interacted with one another and the age range among them.

Jay parked his Pack-runner a couple yards from the smoothie stand, we exited the vehicle and walked our way towards the lovely smell of freshly cut fruits circulating in the forest breeze. Inside the stand was a young-looking female bunny, younger than Judy, with a green checkered t-shirt, light-blue jeans, and a daisy flower attached to her ear. She was leaning on the counter with a sagged posture, droopy ears, reading a big book, and yawned as if she were done for the day. At the very least she was lucky enough to study in the middle of a peaceful forest, I figured. We stood directly in front of the stand but she didn't give heed to us and kept reading the book as if she were being forced to do so.

"Hi Daisy!" Judy greeted.

"Hey Judy." the young bunny replied without looking up from her book. She turned another page and continued to read. "How's the biology final coming?"

"It's kicking my tail." 

"I'm sorry Daisy,"

"Me too."

"So, when's the exam?"

"Three days."

"You still got time! Judy cheered.

"You got this!"

"Hope so. We'll see."

"Hazel's in your class now. She could use a study buddy."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Hmm, I'll text her. Thank you Judy."

"No problem! Would you like to take a small study break and make us some smoothies?"

"I sure would." as she eagerly slammed her book closed and exhaled in relief. She looked up and noticed all five of us standing before her. "Who are they?"

Judy turned to the side to present everyone. "Just a couple of friends I picked up along the way! Daisy, this is Jay. This is his wife Jamie and this is their son, Joseph..."

"Pleasure." Daisy greeted them, looking them over, while the three black wolves gave her an awkward wave and a shy smile. 

"And," Judy continued. "This is Jerry." as she gestured to where I was.

Daisy tilted her head, squinted her eyes, and gave me a slightly suspicious look. I kept my head down with my hood over the helmet so that she wouldn't see my visor. I didn't wave, say hello, or anything but instead just kept quiet and stared at the ground.

"Hmm... a bit outside his ecosystem."

I nodded but that's all I gave her because I couldn't help but notice the large display of flowers around her stand. They were all freshly picked, fully bloomed, real, and quite colorful. Haven't seen these in ages and they sure smelled wonderful, especially the small batch of blue ones.

"Anyway," She continued pulling out her notebook and flower pen. "What flavors?"

"I'll do strawberry," Judy answered. "What about you guys?"

"Oooh I'll do Huckleberry!" Joseph jumped up and down. "Extra large please."

"Just a regular size for him," Jamie interjected. "And strawberry for me too. Honey, what would you like?"

"Oh, umm, I-I'll do a...um...mango please."

"And you?"

Observing the elaborate chalkboard menu that had all the flavors listed, I noticed there was one smoothie named after me so I decided to pick it.

"Cherry, please. Regular size."

The vendor shook her head. "We're all out."

"...Could you please check?"

... "No."

Darn, that would've really hit the spot. Way to be blunt.

"Ha! I'm kidding."

These bunnies sure liked to tease, even if it was a studious monotonic young smoothie vendor doing the teasing.

"Awesome, thank you."

"Yep."

She wrote down my order and immediately went straight to work on our smoothies without wasting any second on the clock. She grabbed the fruits, placed them on the counter, sliced them up before I could say knife, and sorted them into separate glass bowls for blending. She moved so swiftly and efficiently throughout the stand that it was hard to keep up with her sudden actions. Her face maintained a serious look the entire duration of the smoothie preparation and didn't spill a single drop despite her rapid movements. Her skills could've easily landed her a job as a professional bar/smoothie tender in any fine restaurant, particularly if Vegas or Paris were still around and hired bunnies.

Finally, she positioned the five cups as if she were building the base of a cup pyramid and poured the individual blender jars in one crisp motion. The lids were firmly placed, she flicked the striped straws, each color matching the flavor, and within seventy-seven seconds all five smoothies were ready and served to us. Quite impressive.

"Bang. Done. Fifteen dollars, please."

Judy pulls out a twenty-dollar bill from a secret compartment on her carrot pen and slammed the currency on the counter. Long time since I've seen greenbacks.

"There you go."

"For Judy, twelve dollars." 

"Keep the change," Judy said.

"Wow," Daisy smiled. "You sure?" 

"Positive."

"Thanks!"

"No. Thank you Daisy! And good luck on your test!" 

"Ha! Will do."

"Bye!"

As we were departing towards a place to sit down and enjoy our well-crafted smoothies, she gave Judy a casual salute before immediately returning back to her biology textbook and sinking her head into her paw. I too hoped that she'd do well on her test because studying from a paperback was often a monotonous process that'd put anyone to sleep. If only the youth here had access to uploading files to the brain or learning via lucid dreaming as my civilization did because that alone would save them countless hours. Years even. However, I don't think this world had that capability yet. No matter, it was better that way due to the many risks involved.

As Murphey's Law states, if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. When the program glitched, many youth perished so we had to shut it down until further notice. However, that notice never came.

At its peak, anyone could be converted into a genius, if they had the money, and this allowed us to raise youth who'd become future soldiers, scientists, and military leaders for the intergalactic stratocracy. Everything from quantum physics, astrophysics, neurology, computer science, and mathematics to name a few could be directly uploaded into the hippocampus and cerebral cortex in a matter of minutes. If the victim survived, then he/she would become overqualified for any interplanetary role that existed in our timeline.

On the other hand, if the victim wasn't so lucky then they'd likely suffer from lifelong brain tumors and comas which resulted in future generations being unable to reproduce naturally born healthy children. Initially, this was a rare occurrence until cosmic radiation sabotaged the machines which caused the failure rate to drastically increase behind our backs. By the time it was evident, it was already too late. From there, so many humans were affected that we had to transition to artificial birth pods to prevent extinction. Fortunately for me, I was naturally born prior to that era.

I wasn't sure why I was thinking all this but maybe it had something to do with being in the middle of the forest. After all, it was an ideal place to meditate and ponder due to the quietness and surrounding tranquility. Instead of smokestacks, there were stacks of trees. Instead of plastic, there was bark. Instead of a crimson sky, there was a blue sky. Instead of talking robots, there were talking animals. Instead of clanking machines, birds were singing. Finally, instead of gloom, there was bloom. Everything here was so toned down. It was all incredibly and admittedly weird in a good way.

Being in the company of good-natured animals meant so much to me because it was a nice change in pace compared to the demanding work environment of my previous world. At the end of the day, these animals could go home to see their beloved families and watch the sunset together whereas all I could do in my previous world was come home from work, greet the goldfish (Hologram, not a real fish), and go to bed.

After a little trekking in the woods, we found ourselves a large round boulder about a couple of yards above the roadway, sat down, and enjoyed the delicious smoothies. That young bunny named Daisy was a talented chef for her age because the drinks were irresistibly smooth and the flavor was beyond what I expected. Because of the taste, we didn't talk as much since we were too focused on slurping down the beverages.

"Th-This is heavenly Judy, thank you so much!"

"I told you she was good at making them! Aren't they great?"

"They're too good," Jamie agreed. "Now we know where to bring the rest of the family next time we go on a hike." 

"I hope we come again soon," Joseph loudly sipped.

As Jay slurped down the rest of his smoothie, he placed a paw over his forehead and winced a bit. "You okay?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine actually," he moaned slightly while remaining positive. "Just a minor brain freeze."

"Oww, me too!" Joseph quietly moaned. "It's soooo good but my poooor lil head is freeeezing. Oof!" "Oh, you two... You ought to slow down with cold beverages."

"Too late mommy, I already finished mine." Joseph stood up triumphantly, followed by a cute little burp. 

"Heh, s-same here sweetie." Jay smiled at his wife. "Like father like son." as he rested his arm on his son.

"Aww, you two look so much alike!" Judy adored. "Joseph, you have your mother's eyes and you definitely have your father's build."

Both Joseph and Jay flex their wolf arms together and make silly poses. My goodness, they were hilarious.

"Yep, my boy's sure a handsome cub Judy and he's definitely inherited his father's good looks. Just a little more practice with manners and he'll be good to go."

"C'mon mom, my manners are not _that_ bad. Are they?" and he let out a sudden hiccup on accident which gave us all a good laugh. 

"You're getting there son, you're getting there."

Jay and Joseph continued to wrestle with each other in the distance while the rest of us continued to slurp down the yummy smoothies. Sometimes you wish a smoothie could last forever and have a bottomless straw but it has to come to an end eventually. I lifted the lid and noticed that the smoothie was almost finished so I took a moment to admire the bright red color. I imagined it inside of a glass mug with a real cherry on top to complete the look so that it was worthy of a television commercial. This was the first time in my life that I had a cherry smoothie and now it was one of my top favorites.

I pulled the lid off and chugged the rest of the smoothie away. It gave me a slight brain freeze, that's for sure, but it was well worth the pain. If I ever found a way to obtain currency then I'd definitely be coming back to the mountains for seconds. In the meantime, I had to use my will power to wait patiently.

Judy and Jamie were busy conversating but took notice that I was still sitting on the rock and watching Joseph and Jay do an arm wrestle.

"Cherry, you haven't been talking much. You doing good?"

I turned my head towards Jamie and gave her a thumbs up. "I'm fine Jamie, thank you for checking."

Both the mother and Judy had a sudden burst of laughter and struggled to maintain posture. They kept rubbing their upper lip as a gesture but I wasn't taking their meaning.

"Is something wrong?"

"Umm, Cherry. Your helmet--err, face. You've got a little bit of..."

"Cherry." Jamie finished. "You've got cherry all over you, cherry."

I placed my fingers near the mouth area of my helmet and, sure enough, there was leftover cherry smoothie smeared all around the outer edges. Whoops. I must've missed the nano filter. I wiped away the cherry smoothie, pushed some of it towards the filter, and was able to slurp a little more down.

"Thanks, I guess I was saving it for later."

Jamie chuckled. "So, that's a mask you're wearing? I figured because your mouth doesn't move when you talk... or when you drink your smoothie."

"Yep, that's right."

"So... why do you wear it?"

"Well, I --"

"--He gets sunburned really easily," Judy interrupted.

"I do? I mean, yes." I cleared my throat. "Yes, I do. Safety first."

"Except for lightning, right?" the female wolf joked.

"Ehh..."

"I'm kidding!" Jamie simpered. "But seriously though, be careful next time, will you? Fireworks are pretty dangerous, as you've already seen."

"It won't happen again. I can promise you that."

And I was positive it wouldn't happen again. Protocol dictated my response earlier so I ended up removing wolves from the list of threats in my HUD's registry, along with a few other predators I could think of. In my world, they'd attack humans but on this planet, I felt safer, especially after getting to know the Howl family. My helmet was just the boy who cried wolf. If I ever needed to draw out my weapon again then it would be to protect this family and not attack them. "I believe you. And I promise no grudges against you."

"Thank you Jamie. That makes me feel better."

"Good to hear. And please forget the time I barked at you. Come to think of it, my bark is usually worse than my bite." 

"As a mother, you were only protecting Joseph. Serves me right."

"Well, we're good now. Let's just move forward with our chins up."

"Sounds fair." I nodded.

"I'm glad things worked out today." Judy said.

"Me too Judy. Me too. And once again, thank you sooo much for buying us smoothies. We owe you one." 

"Yes, thank you." as I raised my cup.

"You really are one of our favorite officers of Zootopia."

"Aww, you're so welcome!" she smiled. "And don't worry, It was my treat!"

We continued to chatter and relax in the warm forest sunshine for a few more minutes until Joseph and Jay came over to join us. They sat over by Jamie, and both were fatigued from playing and wrestling with each other. It must've been a pretty hot day to have black fur, I imagined. If I were a black wolf then young Joseph would certainly give me grey furs and convert me into a grey wolf because that kid had enough energy to power a factory.

"Oh, J-Joseph... you've worn your daddy out." as he amusingly sprawled out on the boulder panting. "I may be s-stronger...but you...you have w-way more energy than me!"

"And one day, I'll be just as strong!" as he let out a playful growl and was getting ready to jump on Jay again. "Save it for later, sweetie," Jamie stopped him, "You'll need your energy for band practice tonight."

Judy's eyes widened in excitement. "Band practice? Joseph, you didn't tell me you were in a band! That's pretty cool!" 

"Yep!" he proudly posed with paws on his hips. "Top of the class, one of the best in Zootopia, I'm kind of a big deal!"

"Let me guess, the French horn?"

Joseph raised an eyebrow and gave me a silly stare. "No, the saxophone." 

"Nice." I nodded.

"Yep, he's been practicing for over three years now. The Mayor wants him and his school to perform at his birthday party downtown in a couple of weeks."

"It's g-gonna be great!"

"Wow, that's so cool you guys! I'm sure Chief Bogo will assign me and Nick as security so maybe we'll see you all there." 

"We hope so!"

"Yeah! We're excited to see our son p-play in front of a 'high society' crowd," Jay patted his son on the shoulders. "You'll have to cheer him on."

"We sure will! And Joseph, I know you're gonna do great!" as she extended her paw into a fistbump in which he proudly returned. 

"Thanks Judy!" he cheered.

"Yes, Th-Thank you Judy! We really enjoyed our time here with you and it's always an honor to meet a hero of Zootpia. We should all do this again sometime. ...And Cheribim?"

"Jay" I nodded.

He walked over to me and extended his paw. "It was really nice to meet you!"

"Same here," as I returned the paw/handshake. "You're a wonderful family and I had a good time today."

"If you're ever in Zootopia, you should c-come to Joseph's performance! We'd love to have you there and I'm sure we can get you on the list."

"We'll see. This Zootopia place isn't really on the itinerary for... you know... a nomad like me."

"Oh, okay. If n-not, then maybe we can meet up, go bowling, or s-see a soccer game some time."

"Sure, that'd be great. Maybe you could show me around."

"We'd be h-happy to! Do you have a phone number?" as Jay pulled out his smartphone. "If I can remember it. It's, umm... 801-777-7777,"

"S-So many sevens!" as Jay typed the number into his phone.

"It'll work, trust me." I knew this because it was the code to tap into my helmet's communication frequency. If I programmed it right, then it'd work just like a cell phone. "Shoot me a text."

I waited for a few seconds and noticed that something appeared in my helmet HUD:

*******

[verified user: false]:

origin: unknown

message output: ˙ʎɐſ sᴉ sᴉɥʇ 'ollǝH

*******

"D-Did you get it?" he asked.

"Try one more time, I didn't feel my phone vibrate" I lied while trying to pretend that my phone was in my pocket. I checked the HUD again and it appeared as:

*******

[verified user: false]:

origin: unknown.1

message output: Hello, this is Jay.

*******

"That's more like it. Got it." and then I went ahead and updated the contact information:

*******

[Verified user: True]: Jay Gatsby 'Stammerman' Howl origin: N/A

message inbox (1)

*******

I wasn't too good with names so I decided to add a few extra clues to help me remember. Hopefully, Jay wouldn't see that. On this planet, my helmet's HUD wasn't so user friendly anymore, especially since I was no longer on my planet's network. The syntax was still there but the formatting was all gone.

"Judy? Can I get your number?" Jamie asked while pulling out her large phone and handing it to her.

"Of course!" and then she quickly typed down her contact information. "Cherry, I should give you my number as well, in case you get lost."

"Good idea. It's eight zero one, and--"

"Seven sevens," she cut in while jokingly rolling her eyes. "Not like it's easy to forget."

I waited a few seconds then Judy's phone number finally came through. Like Jay's, it took a few attempts for the text to finally appear legible. I would've put carrot emojis next to her name but my helmet wouldn't display them properly and would only show up as " :carrot: " and not "🥕". Thus, my HUD had to be one of the most boring pieces of software to navigate unless I could somehow get it fixed. For the time being, It would do fine as a communication device and I could put up with the few glitches here and there. Judy knew that I didn't have a traditional phone on me but it must've been weird for Jay and his family to see me without one in hand.

With time travel, we developed sophisticated versatile communication devices that allowed us to connect with other levels of technological advancements from other civilizations. The system wasn't perfect, it required many adjustments, and, embarrassingly enough, our devices were usually the culprit of technical difficulties because of how complicated our designs were. Even from the future, nothing seemed to work unless it was between those of our same timeline. It was weird enough exchanging phone numbers with a human being from another time period but that was nothing compared to how strange it felt exchanging phone numbers with talking animals who had a similar technological capability. Phone calls here probably wouldn't work but text messages should be okay.

Jay got on all fours, stretched like a dog, and slowly stood up on two legs while helping his son and wife up. "We'd b-better get going. We don't want little Joseph here to be late for b-band practice."

"Oh, yes, if you head now you can still beat the weekend traffic," she concluded while briefly checking an app.

"I agree. And Judy? Once again, thank you so much for everything you do!" Jamie pulled Judy in for a quick embrace. "My family and I always pray for you and Nick's safety."

"Yes, thank you Judy. P-Please be careful out there."

"And thank you for the smoothies!" Joseph added with a cheer.

"Aww, you guys are too sweet!" she held her heart as if it were melting. "Mammals like you are what make the job worth it."

"Wait! B-Before I forget," Jay frantically searches for his phone then manages to pull it out. "Can we take a quick selfie?"

"Sure! Let's do it."

"Everyone get in here!"

They all bundled together and positioned themselves in front of Jay who had his arm fully extended with the phone camera ready to click.

"C'mon Cherry, get in here!"

"Yeah, come on in." Joseph beckoned. "D-Don't be shy."

I did as they instructed, came over, and stood in the far back. They were a little shorter than me so I had to duck a bit.

"Are you smiling Cherry? Judy elbowed. "I don't see you smiling." 

"Ha ha, very funny."

Jay clicked a few more pictures, we did a couple of different poses, and we even did a silly pose per Joseph's request. During the funny pose, Joseph unsheathed his wolf claws and positioned them close to my neck while making a goofy facial expression. I figured that he wanted to get revenge for the scare I caused him earlier so I didn't mind. I thought it was pretty cute and not so scary at all. Sorry Joseph. Since I was technically an alien, I simply did the peace gesture as a sign that I came in peace.

"One more with my phone," Jamie suggested. She pulled it out and, out of the blue, she randomly handed it to me. "Your arms are longer Cheribim, do you mind?"

"Alright."

I lifted my arm in the air to properly position the camera and, my goodness, this phone was like a tablet. Better yet, a phablet. I couldn't help but stare at it, turn it over, and wonder how in the world it fit in her pocket.

"It's a big phone, I know. Just take the picture."

With my arm fully extended, the wolves huddled around me and I could tell Judy was giving me the bunny ears. How typical of her. Without wasting any more time, I clicked the picture.

"Here," as I placed the abnormally large phone into Jamie's paws. "Thank you Cheribim."

"Could you send those to me on InstaPaw?" Judy requested. "I'll send them right now."

"And I'll s-send mine too."

"Got it, thanks! Let us walk you over to the car."

While making our way downhill, I looked over Judy's shoulder as she was checking her phone and noticed that the pictures turned out quite nice. The good news was that I wore my brown hood so it was hard for someone to tell who I was which was a bit of a relief. If I were another animal looking at those pictures for the first time, then I'd just assume that I was looking at some ripoff homeless version of Iorek Byrnison.

We escorted the Howl family over to their car and I saw that the smoothie stand was closed for the day. Good thing too because I was that close to buying another one and my body didn't need it. I couldn't believe that it was already late afternoon and there was no better place to spend it than in this magnificent forest.

"A-Are you both sure you don't need a ride home?" Jay asked while unlocking the Pack-runner. "We have room." 

"That's okay," Judy kindly declined. "We don't want to make Joseph late."

"Yeah, we got this," I added with a thumbs up.

Jamie pulled Judy in for another quick embrace, shook my hand, and then Jay gave Judy a quick pawshake, and then he came over to me and firmly shook my gauntlet.

"Anything you need my friend, anything, and y-you give me a holler! You have my contact information and you have a family in Zootopia that you can trust." 

"Thank you, Jay."

Finally, young Joseph ran toward us with his paw out for high fives so we held out our paws for him to run and slap them as he ran past us.

"Wish me luck!" he cheered.

"You got this kid."

"You're a superstar Joseph!"

"Th-Thank you guys so much for today! We had fun and we'll have to meet up again s-sometime." "Absolutely! Please drive safely."

"We will! Bye, Judy!"

"Bye Cheribim!"

"Safe travels!

"Bye!"

I waved goodbye, they disappeared into the car, and gradually pulled out of the parking lot. Jay did a sharp U-turn, drove past us, gave Judy and I a friendly honk-honk, they rolled down their windows to wave goodbye, and, just like that, they went past the bend at the end of the roadway and were gone out of sight.

Now, it was only Judy and I standing alone in the empty parking lot. There was nothing but the sound of a gentle breeze, leaves rustling in the trees, and a couple of crickets chirping in the distance. The Howl family left behind a positive, hopeful atmosphere that made us both smile warmly. They were good animals but watching them leave was a bittersweet moment for me because this could've been their last day on Earth had things gone differently. It was a close call this morning for they were truly fortunate to be alive and unharmed from that phaser shot. The important thing is that they survived and were able to drive off to see another light of the day.

On the other hand, this forest could've become a blazing warzone had we encountered the Seraphim instead. I rejoiced greatly that this was not the case and my mind was now at ease; at least, for now. Moving forward, who knows what else would come next on the docket.

The calm silence was broken when a random ringing sound emulated from our immediate area. It wasn't me because it sounded too catchy for my taste. It turns out, it was Judy's phone so she pulled it out to check who it was.

Over her shoulder, I could see that it was a video call from her parents since it was displayed as 'Mom & Dad would like to MuzzleTime...'

Such a strange name for a Facetime app but I guess animals here have muzzles instead of faces. In my world, the only 'muzzle time' we got was the open end of the barrel of a firearm or the one from the James Bond intro. Either way, Bonnie and Stu were probably wondering where we were since we've been gone since early morning.

After a brief delay, Judy exhaled slightly, put on a bright smile, and accepted the call.

"Hey, it's my parents!"

"Judy! Oh, my sweet heaven! Is that you?"

"Of course! Who else would it be?"

"Something terrible's happened!" Stu panicked.

Judy glanced at me in utter shock before returning to the phone. "What? What is it? What happened?"


	14. Preydator

"I can't find the chip reader!" Bonnie fretted.

"Huh?" Judy furrowed her brows.

"You know, the one for the Carrot iPhone." Bonnie clarified. "We can't find it anywhere."

"Yeah, we checked the vegetable stand and don't know where the heck we left it."

"Mm-hm, Mr. Growley and his family are here right now and wanna buy an entire crate of blueberries and cucumbers!"

"But they only brought a Furs National Bank credit card."

Judy humorously rolled her eyes. "Dad, it's in the center console. Under the seat."

"Where?"

"In the truck."

"Okay, I'm walking over there now."

As Stu was walking towards the truck on the phone screen, he awkwardly held his camera in a position right below his chin and the angle made his face fill the entire screen. Judy was facepalming while I was containing laughter.

"I just checked there. I didn't see it Jude."

"Check again."

The phone screen tilted upwards and all we could see was the interior truck cabin roof while we could hear Stu struggling in the background while digging through stuff.

"Where is it?"

"It's there." Judy sighed.

"I can't find it!"

"Keep looking."

"But I can't find it! It's gotta be...oh...wait...nevermind...I found it!"

"Oh, yes, thank you, sweetie!"

"We're good now,"

"Oh, hello Cherry!" Bonnie greeted. "Didn't see you there. How was the run?"

Judy held the phone screen for me and tilted it my way. "It was great Bonnie. Thank you." I waved. 

"Did you get rained on?" Stu asked.

Judy and I looked at each other. "Rained on?"

"You probably didn't then. But we heard a loud thunder a couple of hours ago and it scared the dickens out of your mother and me."

"That's right Stu, they say it came from the forest and we were a little worried about you guys."

"We were gonna call earlier but both our phones were dead so we had to borrow Violet's charger."

"Mom, Dad, we're fine. We heard it but...we were safe!"

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"Yep, we're good. We'll be heading home soon." 

"Alright sweetie, see you then!"

"Tell Mr. Growley hi for me!"

"Oh, we sure will!

"Love you Jude! Be safe."

"Bye-Bye!"

...

The call ended and Judy put her phone away. That was the first 2D video call I've done in a while because in my world we did 3D video calls instead. They had many advantages but one feature I did not like was having a 360-degree hologram view of the user I was chatting with because I could care less about how their backside looked.

We took a moment to look around the area then Judy and I looked at each other to figure out what to do next. She was waiting for me to speak but I was also waiting for her to speak so I just stood there and said nothing.

"Well Cherry, should we go?"

"Sure," I said while panning my head around the vicinity to get a panoramic view. "Want to run back?" 

"We can walk. It's not far from here."

We both started to walk while I let Judy lead the way. As we moved down the pathway, I kept recalling the events of today.

"Those wolves were good,"

"Yes! They are so sweet!" the rabbit beamed. "They're such a beautiful looking family."

"Lots of good families here," I commented. "They're all nice like yours."

"Thank you Cheribim. I sure love them!"

I nodded and continued to walk.

"Do you have a family?" she asked before her ears dropped. "Or, rather... Did...did you have a family?"

"A long time ago."

"What were they like?"

I tried to think about it but it was only painful to do so. This was a family that I thought was real for 113 years of my lifespan until I woke up in the simulation chambers to find out it was all fake. After that, I had to accept my new reality and adapt to it. There's no way I'd tell Judy about it at this time for it was all too personal to me.

"I'm sure they miss you," she said.

My head hung low. "And I miss them."

"What were their names?"

I gently shook my head. "I'd rather not talk about it." 

Every time I mentioned their names or even thought about them my mind would wander into the past and I'd get incredibly emotional. Their names were, in a way, sacred to me so I kept them safely stored in the deepest parts of my memory.

"I understand," as Judy gently placed a paw on me. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you."

We followed the roadway for the next three minutes until Judy gestured me to turn right and continue on a dirt trail. It looked like a shortcut and seemed to lead the way back to the Hopp's Family home. From the trailhead, we gradually followed it uphill and continued our journey across the woods.

"So, Cheribim?" 

I looked at Judy.

"Back there with Howl family... back when we first met them... If you don't mind me asking... what was that all about?"

I sighed that she brought it up. "You mean the lighting? Or the thunder?"

"Yes, both."

"Well... It was neither."

"But... what _was_ that? What were you holding?"

"A phaser rifle... from another time, dimension, and universe. Standard issue in the military." 

Her ears dropped. "Military? From your world?"

"Yes."

"I...I've never seen anything like it..." 

"I hoped you'd never have to."

"So how did you make it appear... and then disappear so suddenly?"

"It's nano-tech. My entire suit is made of it."

"Wow... So how does that work?"

"Basically, you can think of it as the Banach-Tarski paradox combined with the Koch snowflake. The nanites undergo finite fission to follow a nondifferentiable fractal curve until the geometric iterations fully synchronize with the neuronal firing frequency to form desired configurations... ...Does that make sense?"

She scratched her chin. "Well, sorta... not really."

"In Layman's terms, It's like millions and millions of tiny tiny particles working together to form shapes. That is, they follow my command. Though, there are limitations on what can be built, as long as it's something I've practiced with or seen before then I can have them form into that desired shape. They're a bit like magnets, ant colonies, Legos, or molecules working together to accomplish one task."

"I think I get it better now! Yeah!" she nodded. "Everything except the... _Leg-Oh's?_ So that's how you made the weapon? You just... commanded the tiny particles to form it?" 

"That's right."

"Wow, you really are from another futuristic universe then." she shook her head in amazement. "This is just getting crazier and crazier by the minute! Never would I have imagined what you did this morning and my ears are still ringing from it."

"I'm sorry about that..."

"Oh, but those poor wolves! I still can't believe what you did to them... _How could you?"_

"It wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't want it to happen. But it did happen and I feel terrible." 

"But... _But why?_ Why'd you do it?"

"Because wolves were a threat in my previous world and my helmet gave a false warning about them. Protocol dictated my response."

"You were lucky they didn't get hurt!" 

"Right. It's a big shame for me."

"Yep, shame on you."

"And I was just trying to protect you."

"Had you come to this planet thousands of years earlier you might've done a better job protecting me because predators and prey didn't get along well back then. However, we have evolved way past that and we're a modern society now. Predators and prey currently live in harmony... in case you didn't know."

I sighed. "... I should've known. Yesterday, I saw harmless predators in BunnyBurrows ... so there's no excuse."

"Don't worry about it. We can just move on and learn from our mistakes." 

Suddenly, the realization and guilt swept me over. "But... I _almost_ shot the kid."

"Yes, what you did was terrible... ...but remember what Jay said to you: Don't look back...forgive yourself...and keep going! It could've been worse today. _A LOT_ worse but it all worked out and we had a great time today."

I pondered her words and felt a small desire to remain positive but my mind kept going back and forth. I tried to concentrate, filter out the negativity, and realize that I ought to be grateful for what happened today. As scary as it was, things worked out much better than I had anticipated. I didn't turn into a bunny as depicted in my nightmare, I got a good workout, I enjoyed the forest, met a new family, went on a good hike, made a new friend, and tried a cherry smoothie for the first time in my life. Thus, I had to agree with her.

"We sure did."

"Yep!" she affirmed.

"So you're not going to arrest me?"

"I can. Believe me, I thought about it... but I won't."

"But why?"

"Because friends give each other second chances. Taking you to jail won't do anything as it will only finish the day on a bitter note. Jay wouldn't want that and neither would I."

"Same here."

"Plus, no offense Cherry, you're a bit of an alien to us. I can't just lock you up for being unfamiliar with this world. You'll learn our ways eventually."

After she said that, I was reminded of previous years during time travel back when my universe still existed. During that brief era, I had been to many worlds, spoken to many humans, and learned a multitude of things from other past cultures. However, we didn't travel to Roman times or anything too far distant in the past; rather, we only went back as far as the 1960s and that was about it. Any attempt to do so and our superiors would immediately get word of it and wouldn't allow us to return back. Most of the time though, we were only traveling into the future and not into the past. Going to the past was always a brief trip and usually, it was to collect air samples and that was about it.

I would've loved to visit the times of the American Civil War but we had no business being there to interfere. Either way, I felt privileged to visit any past time period because it was like a trip down memory lane from the simulation chambers even if we only spent a short time in each. It was fascinating to learn the ways of civilizations from former times, especially those that still used payphones, gas-powered cars, oil lamps, fossil fuels, paper books, or any other outdated amenity.

This world, however, was different in that I was not only in a modern era but also an era in which humans never existed! In all the years of time travel, I've only encountered humans and never animals who had vocal abilities. There were similarities but the differences outnumbered them so it would take a great deal of learning to adapt to the ways of this world. Nevertheless, I was hopeful about it.

"Thank you, Judy. I'm sure that in time I will."

"But that's the thing though," she said. "Since you're going to be here for a while... we need to talk about it." 

"Again? But we just did that in the previous chapter."

"I know, but this time it'll be more casual. I promise."

"Okay," I reluctantly muttered. "What do we need to talk about?"

"Well, we've got twenty minutes of walking before we get to the house so that gives us plenty of time. I want to help you but you first need to help me by answering some questions. Sound good?"

As we were crossing through a forested gulch, Judy pulled out her classical carrot pen and notebook to jot down some notes. Sounds like we're onto a new chapter in her journal. One way or another, she's agreed to help me so I'd better give her what she asked.

"Okay then, shoot."

"First off, let's start with the basics." as she opened her book. "How tall are you?"

"I'm 7'7 feet with the armor, 7'3 without."

"Wow," her eyes widened in surprise. "That's pretty... that's pretty neat."

"Thanks. However, it was below average in my world because the perfect height was considered 8 feet."

"Eight feet?! Cheese and crackers, were all humans that tall?"

"In the future, yes."

"Not bad," as she gave a slow approval nod. "Now, next question: How much do you weigh?" 

"Oh boy... about 307 pounds... "

She immediately stopped what she was doing, slowly lowered her pen, and gave me a surprised look.

" ...with the armor," I finished. "And 233 without."

She jotted both those numbers down and tapped her chin a couple of times with the pen while thinking of the next question. "Okay, so... let's see... How old are you?"

"Hmm, well, with time travel, there's a bit of a sliding scale so I'd say I'm about mid-twenties, maybe mid-thirties. Somewhere around there..."

"I did not know that was a thing," as she gave me a perplexed look.

"Yes, when you mess with time it tends to mess with your age. Sorry, Judy, there's not much else I can say."

"Okay then... I will just put thirty down for simplicity. You're close to my partner's age by the way. He's thirty-two and will be turning thirty-three soon."

"Oh, nice. How old are you?"

"How old do you think I am?" she smiled while seemingly trying to deceive me. "I don't know, I'd say around twenty-six."

"Ha! Close! I'm actually twenty-five years old."

"Quarter of a century," I commented. "But still young." 

"Yep! After all, age is just a number, right?"

I nodded in agreement while trying to figure out where she was going with these questions. I was starting to think she was going to arrest me but I convinced myself that she's trying to gather information for a purpose but I wasn't quite sure what.

"Next question," as she flipped a new page over and started writing. "What's your diet? Rather, what diet do humans eat?" 

"Pass."

"Pass?"

"Pass. Next question."

She quickly scribbled out a bunch of notes and quickly turned over another fresh new page. It's almost as if she were trying to guess my answer before writing it down. However, now was not the time for her to know all the details.

"Okay...umm...let me think...Oh yes! How did you get here exactly?" she asked while looking around at the sky. "I know it was time travel but... did you come from a tornado-like storm or some random portal?"

"Well Judy, it's hard to say but let's just stick with a quantum wormhole. It'd take way more than twenty minutes to explain it."

"Fair. Enough," as she wrote it down. "Sounds. Good."

"Actually," I recalled. "I technically crash-landed here, on this planet. That was after I came to this universe."

"Oh, my, really? That's crazy! So you were in space before coming here? Wow! So where did you crash exactly? And did it hurt?"

"I don't remember exactly but it was a few degrees outside of BunnyBurrows. And yes, it did hurt a bit. More than a tickle but less than having to pay taxes."

"Ha! That's crazy... But I'm glad that you made it fully intact!"

"Thanks Judy," I exhaled. "Me too."

She scribbled down a few more notes and even asked me about visiting the spot I crash-landed at. It was only a medium-sized crater so there's no way it'd be that interesting, at least for me. I was a bit dizzy when I first landed there so it'd be a challenge to regather all the details and locate its exact spot. Even if we did find it, it would only appear as an archaeological site where a packet of dynamite had exploded. Nothing more.

For some time, she kept writing notes about me and didn't ask questions for a bit. She had more questions in mind but kept answering them herself.

"Alright, so your eyes are a light blue color...check. Your fur, well, you don't have much fur... but it's a bit of a golden color that only appears atop your head...very interesting...check. Your address...hmm...well, your address is still pending so we'll cross that out for now. And then, your occupation, what was your occupation again? Wait, don't tell me. It was data scientist, that's right...got it...check. I've got your date of birth, check. Now, I just need to make sure that--"

"Judy," I interrupted. "Why are you gathering all this information?"

She paused for a brief moment, closed her notebook, stopped mid-trail, and turned towards me. She placed both paws on her hips and stood atop of a long log that put her height about around my mid-chest level. I stopped walking as well to hear what she had to say.

"So Cheribim, as you already know, Zootopia is where I work for the police department. I'm going there tomorrow." 

"Cool." I said.

"And you're coming with me."

"What?" I quietly reacted. "Why?"

"Don't worry, I'm not arresting you. I'm going to help you as I promised before."

In my mind, I was thinking that being arrested by a bunny was the least of my worries, especially if it came from Judy. I couldn't believe that she wanted me to go to the place that I kept hearing over and over from others. She was doing a great job keeping me hidden up until this point but I didn't know why she wanted to bring me to such a prominent place.

"But Zootopia? Isn't that the big city everyone's talking about?"

"Yep! It sure is. That's the one."

"It has a high population?" 

"Yes!"

"And it's full of animals?"

"All kinds! From the biggest elephant to the smallest rodent. So watch your step."

"I don't think so." as I shook my head.

"You have to."

"Really?"

"If you want me to help you, then yes."

"But doesn't that sound a bit... risky?"

"It is risky but you won't have a choice later on. We have to do this otherwise there could be consequences. It's the reason I've taken down your information."

"You're not going to submit this information to the federals, are you?" I suspiciously asked.

"No, that's not going to happen and we're both going to make sure it doesn't happen."

"So enlighten me please."

"Since you're an extraterrestrial who's stuck on this plant, that means you're going to be here for a while. You can't hide forever and you'll have to fit into society somehow. Whatever you do, whatever you buy, whoever you interact with, and wherever you go, even if it's within BunnyBurrows, it will all eventually raise suspicion if you keep going like this."

"Okay," I admitted. "You have my attention."

"Great! So we want to help you blend in and not have to worry about being caught or being found by anyone who is less than friendly. However, it's not just something that we can solve with a mere disguise. It'll help, it'll buy us some time, but it won't be enough. My brothers and sisters have worked hard on your outfit, they're texting me about it, but there's an extra step that I must help you take."

"And what would that be?"

"You'll need to go undercover as someone else. Ideally, as a different animal. It's what we do all the time at the ZPD. We send many officers out on patrol as undercover agents and their disguises work pretty well actually. Remember when we mentioned Officer Wolfard, Jay's friend?"

"Oh, yes, I remember."

"Yes! So he is a wolf who goes undercover as a sheep. Not only does he wear the disguise but he's also issued a temporary identification card as an extra measure. It has his alternate name, address, and sheep species listed."

"So... you want me to go undercover as an animal... who carries a forged I.D.?"

"If that's what it takes. It's either that or you'll have to spend your entire time here in hiding. I won't put my family in that kind of danger and I don't want you to put yourself in that kind of danger. If we do this right, then the best place for you to hide is right in plain sight."

"That's a terrible idea... So how do we do it?"

"Leave that to me. I'm getting that figured out. So the alternate I.D. shouldn't be too hard actually but getting one that's more long term will require some effort."

"Is it worth the effort?"

"Yes! If someone asks for it or if you make a purchase then you'd best be ready." "Is that why you took down my information then? To help create this I.D.?"

"Correct! Though I won't use the exact information you gave me, it's a nice place to start. Based on what you gave me and how you look, you do have the height of a female polar bear..."

"...Great..." I murmured.

"...But," Judy continued. "You do have about the same weight as a large male wolf... but that's without your armor. Even then, you're still overweight."

"Thanks a lot."

"But that's okay!" She chuckled. "That's only if you were a wolf."

"That means for the identity, I'd either be a white wolf or a polar bear?"

"Probably so," she answered. "But you're kinda in the awkward middle so my brothers and sisters will think about the final costume. Give us a little more time and my partner and I will figure something out with the identity card."

"I'd like to be a wolf," I suggested. "It sounds kinda cool, to be honest." 

"We'll be the ones to decide that." she teasingly smiled.

"Fine, whatever."

"But we'll definitely have you wearing your armor," she added. "It'll make you feel safer, it looks cool, and it'll be a good base for your costume. More on that later."

"Sounds good Judy," I gave her a thumbs up and we resumed walking back home along the pathway. "But this whole I.D. forging process for an extraterrestrial being like me, isn't that illegal? You'd be helping out an alien."

"Perhaps," she thought out loud. "But last I checked, there are no such laws that regulate how we can or cannot provide aid to extraterrestrial visitors. Wow... that's actually crazy now that I think about it. This has never happened before which is why there are no laws against it."

"You'd be the first one to do so."

"That's true."

"But would you still do it? Even if there were a law already in place or eventually placed?" Judy thought about it for a moment, pondered, and then looked up to me.

"If it's the right thing to do then yes, I would. It's like a red light. We try to stop and obey but when another mammal on the other side is in critical need then sometimes it's better to drive through and help. Otherwise, if we wait long then it might be too late."

"I feel like I'm asking a lot from you, Judy. You don't have to do this. You can still walk away."

"No can do. It's my job to uphold and sustain the law but it's also my duty to serve and protect other mammals, like yourself. That's what good cops do."

"You have no idea how much this means to me." "You're my friend and I made a promise to help you."

"If they find you Judy, they'll try to take you away. If they catch you, I won't let them. I will protect you." 

"I know you will. And I really do appreciate you trying to protect me today, even if it didn't go as planned."

"This morning I failed but I won't fail again."

"Yes, Cherry. But please, please don't make such a big scene next time, especially in the middle of the city of Zootopia. We were lucky to be in a forest you know."

"Okay, I'll do my best to tone it down quite a bit."

"Yes, please do. And don't forget that my partner Nick is also good at protecting me so we won't be alone."

As we proceeded further along the trail, we were in a thick group of oak trees for about thirty seconds until we came out into an open meadow filled with colorful wildflowers. The sun was right above us, beating down upon the area, and I noticed my shadow as it cast its shape upon the forest floor. It got me thinking.

"Hey, Judy," 

"Yes Cherry?"

"I just remembered that since my suit is nano-tech it means I can forge a tail and ears for the mammal disguise."

"Really? Hmm... maybe," she pondered. "But wouldn't it be too metallic?"

"Yes, it would, but only a little."

"No, no," she shook her head. "It needs to be fluffy." 

"I can make it _look_ fluffy."

"But it needs to feel fluffy."

"Why does that matter? It's not like some random mammal is going to walk up and touch my tail."

"In Zootopia, you never know. Trust me, It can happen, unfortunately."

"Fine, I believe you."

"Don't worry, we've got you covered."

My fingers were crossed that the disguise would look good but the most crucial thing was to trust Judy and cooperate with her plan, no matter what happened. Going to Zootopia with her tomorrow would be exciting for sure but I had no idea what to expect. Leaving Bunnyburrows will be hard but life moves pretty fast so one can't idle in one place for too long.

She was right that I would be putting her family in danger if I stayed here and she was well aware of what I was capable of. Deep down, I felt pretty strong and able in combat but I knew that I wasn't invincible. I may have the technology of the future but my biggest downfall will be underestimating the creatures of this planet if I'm not too careful. I already did that with Judy, just because she was a bunny, but I learned that she was much more able than I had ever imagined.

She's got incredible endurance, she has deep love in her heart towards the family, she's resourceful, she's protective, and she's incredibly brave. Even with my phaser rifle fully drawn, she didn't hesitate to stand in front of the barrel and protect the wolves from harm even if she were to face harm herself. Truly, she was a hero to them and a hero to many but I never knew why exactly. Now was a good time to find out.

"So, in this Zoo city, are you considered... somewhat famous?"

"In Zootopia you mean? I wouldn't say 'famous' but you could say that my partner Nick and I are well known by many." 

"Hmm..."

"Why?"

"Because the Howl family thought the whole world of you."

"Aww!" she reacted touchingly. "Mammals like them always make the life of a cop well worth it."

"So what'd you guys do to gain such momentum?"

"Well, we cracked one of the biggest cases in Zootopia. We found the fourteen missing mammals." "What was that like?"

She went on to tell me about how it all started. As a fresh cop, the poor bunny was assigned parking duty on her first day and had this obnoxious goal of giving out 200 tickets. No, it wasn't a college campus; rather, just a normal day in the city until she ran into her partner Nick who happened to be a con-artist and knew everybody like the back of his paw. Even before he was a cop, he reluctantly agreed to help her find a missing otter after she 'hustled' him into it.

They both went to an exotic oasis, acquired the otter's license plate number, took it to the DMV in a flash to track it down, came across a feared godfather in Tundratown, he spared them, fed them cheesecake, and gave them another lead. He was a black jaguar who just so happened to be attacked by the little otter, they traveled to a rainforest district to talk to him, he attacked them for some apparent reason, they barely escaped, the police came to the scene, the jaguar disappeared, Judy almost lost her job but her soon-to-be partner Nick stepped in, they went to the assistant mayor's office for traffic cameras, they found out the jaguar was taken away by wolves, they journey to some Arkham-asylum-like place, Judy does a howl, the guards are miraculously distracted, they enter inside, and here's where it gets interesting.

Turns out, the fourteen missing mammals were all imprisoned there, including the little otter and the jaguar. However, none of them were crying out for freedom but instead, they were growling and trying to kill anyone who came near them. All of them were predators. Luckily, they were behind glass but it was unknown as to why they were found in such a primal state. As Judy put it, the animals had supposedly gone 'savage' which, at the time, some hypothesized that they were reverting to their biological roots. The mayor selfishly locked them up to guard his reputation since he was a predator but Judy and her partner got wind of his plan and narrowly escaped.

I asked Judy multiple times on how she escaped from a sealed prison cell but she wouldn't answer. Finally, she simply admitted to being washed away but I figured out the truth from there. There wasn't much time to finish the story but Judy was kind enough to take us on a nice scenic detour home through the edge of the forest which allocated extra time for her to finish the rest of her inspiring story. I'm grateful she did that because it was like listening to a podcast. Anyway, back to the story.

Later, they took the evidence to the ZPD, they swarmed the asylum area like cops from GTA 6, the mayor and the doctors involved all get arrested, the sheepy assistant mayor becomes mayor, the missing mammals are relocated albeit they're still savage, the case is solved, the case is closed, and everything seemed good from there.

However, there was more. Much more in fact. There was more than meets the eye. The city had a press conference, Judy had to give a speech, it didn't go well, Judy and her partner split due to her misplaced stereotypes and secret bigotry towards predators, fear and discrimination against predators spread like a virus across Zootopia, protests occurred, Judy is claimed as a hero by some but guilt overrides her confidence and leads her to temporarily resign from the Zootopia Police Department.

Months later, while depressed, she returned to the farmland to work alongside her parents until she found out the sudden truth: There were toxic flowers called night howlers, or Midnicampum holicithias _,_ that had severe psychotropic effects on both predators and prey. In her words, it made them go savage whenever they were exposed. Her parents used these flowers to deter bugs but someone in the city was harvesting them as a sort of neuro-weapon. Part of me was thinking that this flower should've been destroyed but Judy explained to me that too many farmers depended on it and getting rid of it would cause too many crops to fail. It made sense to me but was beside the point of the story.

Finally, after interrogating a wimpy weasel, they found the lab inside a train where all the trouble was brewing, they tried to get it to the police department, the lab exploded, Judy's partner salvaged a piece of it, they made their way to the police department, they came across the mayor, formerly the assistant mayor, she requested the evidence to be handed over, she was acting suspicious, Judy and her partner fled, Judy gets injured, both get trapped, both were about to get framed by a sheepy sheep, just like she did with Mayor Simba until, out of nowhere, they pulled off "The Sweetheart Hustle" or whatever she called it.

Mayor Bellwether set herself up big time, the police came, she got arrested, placed in jail, Judy is reinstated into the ZPD, an antidote was discovered to cure the missing mammals of the night howler, including the otter and the Jaguar, families are reunited, Judy actually gives a good speech unlike the previous conference, her partner joins the ZPD months later, peace in the city is fully restored, everyone was happy, everyone was dancing, many shook their tails in joy, and nearly all of Zootopia gathered together in a grand celebration at Gazzle's concert if I'm not mistaken.

"...so that's how it all went down," she finished with a cheering gesture. "Pretty crazy, right?"

I gave her a solemn nod, "Impressive, I must say." for I did find her story to be truly inspirational and uplifting, especially if I were less than four feet in height. Even so, it was still a good lesson for anyone.

"And that was just the first year on the job!" she excitedly expressed. "So far, it's been an incredible journey." 

"Not bad for a bunny."

"Not bad at all." she agreed. "As you can see, in the city of Zootopia, anyone can be anything!"

"So that's what you did," I recapped. "You took matters into your own - paws - and you cracked one of the biggest cases in your world's history."

"But it wasn't by myself," she reminded. "I wouldn't have made it so far if it weren't for my sweet partner Nick. He was difficult initially but he did help me out plenty, especially towards the end. I did actually save his tail a couple of times but he did so much more for me and I'm grateful to have him by my side on duty."

"No wonder the Howl family admires you both. You're like heroes to them."

"We're just doing our job." she warmly smiled. "And we're nothing without the tremendous love and support from all the citizens of Zootopia. They definitely keep us going"

"That's what you, Jamie, and Joseph were talking about earlier?" I curiously asked. "All your heroic tales?"

"Ha, well, kind of." she scratched the back of her ear. "We talked about many things actually, regarding their family in particular. I'm sure you and Jay did too."

"A little bit," I thought while dodging a low clearance tree branch that nearly hit me in the head. "He briefly mentioned a few things about his father, Mr. Howl."

"What did Jay tell you about him?"

Slightly surprised by her question, I began to think about the pack-runner car we saw from earlier today. "I remember he said his father was rough on him, ever since the mother passed away. He tried to toughen Jay up, so he bought him that slick-looking black car, but that's all I know. Why?"

"Because Jamie told me many things about Jay's father but I don't think Jay ever told you." 

"Really?"

"Yes, and it's crazy because some of it is partially connected with the fourteen missing mammals case." 

"How so?"

"Well, it's a long story but I'll try to keep it brief. Look," she pointed, I looked, and we could see the Hopp's family home in the distance. We almost made it back. We walked slowly and I turned my attention towards Judy to hear more. "Basically, Jay's father, Mr. Howl, wasn't always rough on the family. He was once a kind, humble, and forgiving wolf who was not only respectful of those in his immediate family but also with those of every outside species."

"Just like his son Jay," I added.

"That's right! Just like Jay. Anyway, Mr. Howl didn't always have it easy. Unfortunately, he was bullied in school, didn't have the best parents, and he didn't have many friends during his youth. The only friends he had were predators like him and, it turns out, Dawn Bellwether and him went to the same middle school."

"Wow, same school and everything?" 

"Pretty much."

"Let me guess, they both got in a fight?"

Judy shook her head. "Not at all! In fact, they both became very good friends and even studied together for two years. Math, history, chemistry, biology, politics, you name it. They passed exams with flying colors, went to regional competitions together, hosted fundraisers, and they were even planning on going to an end-of-the-year dance together."

Judy proceeded to show me a picture that Jamie sent to her phone. The image pulled up and all I could see was a young innocent black wolf and a young sweet white sheep standing happily together and triumphantly displaying their science medals. It's a picture that I never would've imagined seeing, and yet, here it was. A predator and prey standing peacefully together as a stark reminder of what society was capable of.

Inspecting the picture further, I was hoping that this all could've had a happy ending. The picture looked like a pleasant ending and something worthy enough to display at the end credits of an edifying movie.

My, that black wolf and white sheep were sure something. Despite humanity's default symbolism revolving around those two creatures, the picture itself seemed to blow that idea out of the water. They sure looked decent together, I had to admit, but I fear we all had to face reality. I knew what Bellwether was and who she had become. I looked over to Judy who had droopy ears and sadness filling her eyes.

"So, what happened?" I asked, as I handed her back the phone.

"That's the problem. Jamie didn't know for sure and Mr. Howl never said anything to them about it. He even tried to hide the picture from his son and wife but they accidentally found it. He never went to the dance with Bellwether that year and neither of them wanted to see each other again. Whenever Bellwether's name was mentioned - whether that be on T.V., radio, or newspaper - he'd growl about it. Interestingly enough, this was way before anyone knew of Bellwether's true intentions. "

"Oh boy..."

"I know, it's pretty crazy. Jay tried to ask his father but he wouldn't tell him. Jamie and Jay thought that Mr. Howl was somehow led into a setup years ago, either by his friends or Bellwether's friends. It must've occurred on the night he was going to ask her out. If I had to guess, someone probably altered the invitation he left on her doorstep which led them to have harsh hostility towards each other."

I scratched and shook my head. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't know but sadly that's just how some mammals are Cherry. Prey and predators often go through phases in school where they either get along great or they don't get along at all. When I was nine actually, I was bullied by a fox named Gideon Grey but he turned himself around and now he's a dear friend to our family. And my partner Nick? He was also bullied as a kid but he was mostly picked on by prey."

"So it's on both sides then. They're both guilty of causing contention." 

"Yes." she firmly admitted.

"But wasn't Mr. Howl against Bellwether only? And not just prey in general?

"Jamie told me that it all started with Bellwether but he eventually grew to dislike all prey. Growing up, he was always picked on by them, he lived in a rough neighborhood, most of the police were prey, many would question him due to his 'intimidating' appearance or 'grotesque' posture, and he was often discriminated by prey in job applications."

"It seems strange that so many prey would cause him that much grief."

"Right? I was thinking the same thing when I asked Jamie. However, keep in mind that Mr. Howl often exaggerated his troubles and since 90% of the population is prey, he was more likely to run into them. He had no trouble interacting with his own species or even predators but prey made him irritated. Even if it wasn't their fault, he'd get after them over small things such as bad driving, standing in line too long, or even hearing them talk."

"And not a single prey could prove him wrong..."

"No. Not for him. He lost all faith in them and didn't trust any. Jamie strongly believed it's because Mr. Howl was let down in his youth by too many prey, and not just Bellwether. However, it doesn't end there. One year, Mr. Howl's wife got spinal bone infection and had to be admitted to the Zootopia Central Hospital."

"I remember Jay mentioned she passed away. Was that how it happened?"

"That's right," she stated with grief. "And that's when Mr. Howl lost all hope and became angry with his son. At the time, there were very few doctors qualified to perform such surgery. There was one predator doctor at the time but Jamie told me that his waiting list was over three months! Jay's mother was in extreme pain, time was running out, Jay was scared, so he decided to have a prey doctor do it. Of course, this was against Mr. Howl's wishes."

"It didn't work out?" I regretfully asked.

"No. She didn't make it. The surgery was performed, the doctor ran into complications, she did her best, but her efforts didn't save Jay's mother."

"That must've shattered Jay."

"It shattered everyone. Jamie said that she, Jay, and Mr. Howl were all there when it happened. Young Joseph was just a small toddler at the time so he had to say goodbye to his grandmother."

"Terrible, just terrible..."

"And that's when Mr. Howl completely changed. He grew extremely angry, stormed out of the hospital room, spoke harsh words against the prey doctor, and berated his son for the rest of the night."

"So he blamed his son Jay for trusting the prey doctor to perform the surgery?" 

"Yes, but he also blamed Jay for the death of his mother."

"That's not fair." I fumed. "A doctor can only do so much andJay tried to help his mother."

"I know. It's not fair at all and Jay is still recovering from that day. His wife and son are always there to console him but he still must feel deep regret. He's trying to talk to his father on the phone but it never works out. It's been months now."

"He shouldn't have to feel that way. I wish Jay told me but we did only meet today."

"And he's too shy to share it," Judy commented. "That's why Jamie told me. She trusted me and needed someone to hear her out. I asked if I could share it with you and she said it was okay."

"Thank you, Judy. For someone who's a stranger to this world, it means a lot to have someone who trusts you." 

"Anytime! But keep it low key, alright?"

"Understood. What happened to Mr. Howl during that time?"

"Everything remained the same until the fourteen missing mammals were found. Jamie said that when Mr. Howl found out that Assistant Mayor Bellwether, his childhood traitor, tried to turn all the predators against Zootopia, it only convinced him further that prey could never be trusted. At the time, he knew that his son Jay was working as a lawyer who advocated for all of animals' rights so he never spoke to him again. Jay actually reached him at one point but Mr. Howl only chewed him out and was never heard from again."

I facepalmed. "What a mess." 

She gave a sad nod. "Yeah."

"How does Jamie know all this if Mr. Howl won't talk to his own son?"

"Because Mr. Howl will only speak with Jamie and his grandson Joseph. He isn't as hostile towards them as he is with Jay. If he hears Jay's voice, he hangs up."

"We've had similar things in my world but we never made amends. We'd go our own ways and leftover families would remain split forever. Our world was doomed anyway."

"But here," she emphasized. "Here, in this world, the family is what keeps us going. It's what should be keeping us all going. I hope you come to understand because it's extremely important to us."

"I know it's important to you... but it's also important to me." I reiterated. "I want to help Jay and his family... but what can we do?"

"We need to be there for them when they need us. Sometimes, we won't know when or if they need us so we must check on them as a good friend would. They gave us their contact information so we're all set."

"Yes," I tapped my helmet. "We have what we need."

"Remember that you owe it to them, especially you, but we'll both do our part."

I gave a thumbs up. "Sounds good,"

"But for now, we've got other things to worry about. C'mon, let's head back to the house."

She started moving forward out of the edge of the treeline and I followed in her footsteps. We finally came back to a dirt road leading into the hilly neighborhood and the Hopp's family home was a couple of hundred yards ahead of us. I felt good about today for it went much better than expected and no one got hurt. I smiled in satisfaction until I realized that I had forgotten something. My smile converted into a concerned look so I immediately stopped in my tracks because I had to tell Judy something.

"Wait, Judy" I called out. 

"What's up?"

"There's something I must tell you."

She turned her head back to face me, her ears were up, and she was ready to hear what I had to say.


	15. Superstitious

" ...Jay might know what I really am. Is that a problem?" I wondered, thinking she would see it as an issue.

"Eh..." she casually shrugged in dismissal. "I wouldn't worry about it."

She then resumed back to walking and I simply stood there thinking to myself _That was easy._ For some reason, I unexpectedly felt a little worried but my concerns were now completely gone in the snap of a finger. Jay knew and I knew that he knew so there was no need to lose sleep over it because he's not that type of mammal. Since that was taken care of, I proceeded in following Judy back to the house.

As we strolled along, I kept thinking about predators and prey. Two sides of the same coin. In addition, I kept thinking about that picture... the one Judy showed me... it reminded me of the racial inequalities that existed back in my homeworld, especially because of the contrasting black and white colors of the two mammals.

As soon as our society put on the same military armor, racism gradually vanished because we all looked the same. While that indirectly ended racism for a time, it eventually led to other problems that we traded for. Humanity would always have stumbling blocks: War, disease, poverty, racism, religion, injustice, climate change, armageddon, and many other things. Take your pick. We can try our best to handle each of them in a delicate manner but we can never solve all at once. Don't kid yourself as those politicians once did, regardless of what side you're on or what side you think you're on.

Sooner or later, pride, power, and selfishness will eventually kick in, promises will be broken, and all will lead to the final demise, as it already did with us. Extinction: A common enemy and an ultimate enemy feared among common strugglers such as animals and humans. Humans were out of the game now.

Sometimes there's only one thing left to do. Embrace it. The end will come eventually, we can delay the inevitable, but there's no stopping it. Things may seem bad now, the world may be falling apart, all hell may be breaking loose, but it's not over yet. As long as we're breathing, the game's not officially over. Thus, be not idle, rise, stand, and step forward. There's still good in this world and it's always something worth fighting for. If there's breath in your chest then there's always a breath of hope somewhere...

Speaking of which, my breath reeked a bit.

Wait a minute, what was I thinking? That forest must've diverted my thoughts. I couldn't tell before but I definitely noticed it now since my helmet was off. It wasn't the cherry smoothie but rather it was the fact that I was slightly dehydrated from the morning run. Within the narrow compartment confines of my nano-suit, I actually had one last extra piece of Altoid that I stowed away while working my last day at the lab. It was a completely random find, I'll admit, but I welcomed it. It was one of those things that you experience as a human when you unexpectedly find an item hidden in your pockets, whether that be lint, a paper clip, a rubber band, a dollar bill, some change, headphones, fidget spinner, dice, or any other lost treasure.

I quickly plopped the wintergreen into my mouth and placed the helmet back on. My, that was the very last one in history! It was just as refreshing from my previous world and the revitalizing scent filled the entire helmet's interior as a curiously strong mint should. Here comes the new me.

Five minutes later, the Hopp's family home came into full view as we went over the final hill. It was about 4:17 pm and the house was just as we had left it only this time we had much more daylight. It was a calming time of the day, the neighborhood was peaceful, there was hardly a soul in sight, so everyone must've been out and about for the weekend. I squinted my eyes to notice that the light blue truck wasn't there so either Stu got it fixed or he simply forced the car to start for the day.

We made our way to the main wooden porch area and everything looked normal, at first, until we saw something unusually colorful all over the front wooden door.

I thought it was either a vibrant rainbow, some weird paint job, or an entirely new entryway but it was only a bunch of colored sticky notes. There were hundreds of them! But why?

Each of them had little individual notes written on the front with a wide range of different styles of handwriting such as old, cursive, transitional, neoclassical, didone, slab, clarendon, glyphic, and even some form of elvish on a couple of them. Those I couldn't read. However, most of them were fairly legible while the calligraphy on others was impressive for sure. It made my writing style seem inferior and that was mostly due to the fact that I hadn't written anything by hand in ages. Though, these notes weren't written by ordinary hands. Rather, they were written by little bunny paws.

There were far too many to look at but I quietly read a couple of them to myself as I panned my head from left to right.

_'Went to go play Cribbage, see you soon'_

_'Went 2 Violet's play! C U L8R.'_

_'playin soccer w/ friends. brb'_

_'At the Carrot festival with Chloe. Be home at 6.'_

_'Taking karate classes at 5. Coming home late!'_

_'Workin' on science project. call if you need me.'_

_'Back in 30 min! Gettin snaks for tonight'_

_'Gone swimming.'_

_'Biology final study w/ Daisy. C U soon!"_

_'@ the craft store'_

_'out for a d8. plz dn't call.'_

_'Me fui al parque y el cráter grande con Trisha'_

_'mom, dad, omw to the farm'_

'at the arcade'

_'playing hopscotch at school.'_

_'Went for a run w/ Cherry.'_

That last note must've been Judy's. So that's why all these notes were posted here on the door. They were there to keep everyone in the Hopp's family informed of each other's whereabouts for the day in case one of them came home wondering where someone else was. All of them even had their own well-designed signatures to uniquely identify who's who. That's pretty nifty, I thought. I suppose they could've used a phone app to keep each other informed but, hey, at least this method was more traditional and colorful.

I admired all the vibrant colors and as I counted the notes, it was probably safe to say that there were more than a hundred of them.

"Is that... _normal?"_ I asked while turning to Judy.

"Only on weekends. My dad kinda likes to know where everyone is with one quick look. Plus, my family seems to enjoy it!" 

"Today's Friday, right?"

"No, it's actually Saturday," she answered. "My parents are probably still out working on the farm. As for my brothers and sisters, well, _here_ you go," Judy gestured at the sticky note door.

I continued to admire the number of notes. "You'll need a secretary to keep track of all this."

" _That_ would be me." a random voice said from a distance. I turned my head back and forth until I noticed another young bunny on the porch with us. She was about Judy's height, had cream fur, was a little older than Judy, and appeared to be cradling a newborn. 

"I'm Judy's aunt, the 'unofficial' babysitter for tonight, nice to meet you," she extended her paw, I lightly shook it with caution, and she widened her eyes. "Goodness! You've got big paws!"

"Aww, Chelsie, I'm so happy to see you!" Judy happily embraced her. "You finally made it!"

"Yeap, sure did! It was a looong drive for us but, by golly, we managed to pull through and now, aqui estamos."

While they both were talking, I zoned out for a minute to admire the newborn cradled in her arms. The little one yawned a few times and made sweet little raspy noises. To be honest, I never thought I'd see another natural newborn after my world's destruction, let alone a bunny, or any other animal. That thing was so tiny that it could've easily fit inside my palm. It was a little light cream-colored bunny with such big bright blue eyes that were much larger than mine.

" ...So who's your amigo here Judy?" "His name's Cherry." she answered.

"Cherry, huh? Very nice. More like White Cherry, the flavor of my favorite sports drink!" she nervously chuckled while the rest of us maintained steady faces. "So, what'd you guys do today?"

"We went on a run together,"

"Oh, my, did you? That's great! And... how was it?" she asked enthusiastically.

Judy turned to me with an awkward smile then steadily turned back to her aunt "It was...pretty eventful, I must say."

"Really? Well, I'll have to hear about it then," as she carefully tightened the blanket around the newborn. It was growing needy and started to make a low, impatient cry. "Hmm, but for another time." she continued. "Right now, you'll have to excuse me. I need to go put little Ryker here down for a nap."

"Alright lil Ryker, you sleep tight now!" Judy kissed him on the forehead then Chelsie rocked him back and forth.

"See you both later!" she calmly walked away into the house through the side door. Seemed like she would also take this opportunity to tend to the other little ones. Deep down, I knew they were cute little bunnies but I also knew to never say such an offensive phrase. Had I actually transformed into a bunny, as I dreamed this morning, I probably could've gotten away with it.

Initially, I found it kind of silly to be offended by such a compliment but, then again, I'd probably cringe too if someone else called me cute. I mean, what is one supposed to say after that? Thank You? Or, thanks, I like to stay in shape? No wonder the bunnies didn't take it well. It was too obvious and they were tired of hearing it. You might as well compliment a dwarf for being short so that you can lie on the floor groaning in pain due to the short-tempered kick to the groin.

Judy briefly pulled out her handheld phone to check the time, scrolled through a couple of text messages, and then put it away. "Well, I'm going to take a shower," she said. "You're welcome to relax a bit but you probably want to take one too."

"That would be nice." I nodded, realizing that this would be the first shower since my universe collapsed.

"Problem is, we _definitely_ don't have a shower for your size," she scratched her head in thought. "You could give yourself a sponge bath but- "

No," I insisted against. "I'd rather not."

Judy pondered. "There's not too many options, I'm afraid."

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "How about the forest waterfalls? I asked, realizing that they had a large volume of water. 

Judy raised an eyebrow and propped up an ear. "Waterfall? You want to rinse under a waterfall?"

I shrugged. "Why not?"

She seemed hesitant. "It's a bit of a walk, are you sure?" 

"Won't be a problem."

"Well, be my guest but.... please please be careful out there!" 

"I promise."

"No more surprises, right?" 

I nodded. _I was done with surprises for the day._

"I'll get you a towel and shampoo," she said hurriedly as she kindly went inside.

I was alone on the porch to enjoy the quiet of the farmlands until I heard soft footsteps rapidly coming down the stairs.

_That was quick._

I then held out my arms, ready to receive whatever Judy was going to hand me. Remembering I was much taller than her, I crouched down, and she handed me a neat stack of three fluffy pink towels with a large glass vial of bright purple shampoo on top. 

_Not my ideal colors._

The neon pink colors were not exactly masculine in appearance, but I faked a smile to ensure a look of gratitude. She couldn't see my face - of course - but she knew that I smiled in uneasiness. She had that look again.

"There you go! That should be enough to keep you dry. Feel free to finish off that glittering shampoo bottle." 

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Judy."

"If you're not back in one hour, we'll send a search party." she reminded.

"No need, I'll hurry."

Using one hand to balance the towels, I used the other to place the brown hood over my helmet. Just a little precaution in case someone drove by. 

Behind me, I could tell Judy was watching to make sure I wouldn't do anything irresponsible like burn the forest down. She was certainly a perky little bunny but I could handle myself.

After four minutes, I made it to the hill again and made my ascent. While moving, I titled my head closer to the purple shampoo bottle and it smelled like... _lavender. It would have to do._

I was lucky to not come across any cars so the coast was clear. I followed the same dirt path from this morning that led into the group of trees.

Alone at last until, out of nowhere, a group of young bunnies was racing down the dirt patch on their miniature bikes. 

There were four of them, three boys and one girl who was lagging behind. The three boys zoomed past me, my head was behind the stack of towels so they couldn't get a good look at me. They took off down the road and the little girl was trying to catch up. She tried to get a good glance at me but I continued to hide my head behind the stack of pink towels.

While gliding downhill, she kept looking back, hoping to get a better view but I wouldn't show myself. Without warning, her distracted state caused her to hit a protruding rock chunk and flip over the handlebars. _Oh great..._

She was lying flat on the ground, bike atop her body, and was flinching in pain. _What was I supposed to do without blowing cover?_ Instinctively, I ran over, dropped the pink towels, and got down on my knees to help her. 

"You alright?" I asked while checking for any bodily injuries. 

I peaked around and the other three bikers were long gone. Pitiful of them to leave a fellow biker behind.

She seemed fine but kept holding her lower leg in pain. I could tell she was a young bunny, perhaps a little older than Judy's niece, Cotton. She wouldn't talk to me but only stared in discomfort while trying to process what kind of creature I was. Using my two fingers, I lifted her paw off the lower part of the leg to see what the damage was. 

Just a small abrasion, minor bleeding, nothing to worry about.

"Ow, ow, ow!" she exclaimed and immediately covered up the wound again with her paw.

I suppose this youngling wasn't used to a little pain after all. Ideally, I'd leave her to fend for herself. A better lesson in the long run, even if cruel.

But I decided to show mercy.

A corner piece of my cloak could've made a fair bandage if it sanitized. Instead, I tore off a small stip of pink towel fabric and carefully wrapped it around the little bunny's leg. She dared not to speak and frightfully froze in place while I helped her.

"Sorry about the pink," I said to hopefully loosen her up.

She stared with her emerald eyes, her nose twitched, and she was too scared to speak. As I finished tying the knot around her leg, I lifted her bike to help her mount up again. 

"Stay focused," I advised while keeping the bike steady.

She frantically nodded in understanding and briskly took off.

In my opinion, she should've worn a helmet but I'm unsure how that'd work for bunnies. Either way, she pedaled off into the horizon to hopefully regroup with her friends. 

Without further delay, I proceeded into the forest and walked for the next seven minutes until I was surrounded by tall trees once again. This time, I felt like being back in my original world because there were no talking animals nearby and I was all alone. Strangely enough, if I were to encounter any forest animals, then they wouldn't be wild and they wouldn't be permanently living here.

Except for anthropomorphic hobos, perhaps.

To me, that was humorous to think about because, for example, if I were to encounter a squirrel then it'd be verbally capable of telling me to back away from its nut stash. Now, If I encountered a beaver, held out my hand, and called out 'Here boy' then he'd give me a tilted look and reply 'Well, I ain't going to smell it if that's what you want.'

It took me a little longer to find the location and I was getting worried because I forgot to leave bread crumbs. Just when I thought I was completely lost I heard the best sound known to man.

 _Running water._

It was the sound that any dying traveler was longing to hear because it meant survival and hope. No more thirst, no more dryness, and no more death. In my case, I only cared about being no more sweaty and no more greasy.

Peaking through the pushes, I found the stream which led me through a large boulder field, weaved its way through a couple of oak trees until there was a drop-off. Here it was. I found the waterfall. It wasn't like the ones from Yosemite but it was at least two stories tall, sufficient enough to take a shower under. I set the towels down, took my helmet off, placed it on a rock, and turned on some music. Most MP3 files were corrupted from the dimensional jump but there was one song that seemed to work.

_V_ _ery superstitious,_

_Writing's on the wall,_

_Very superstitious,_

_Ladders bout' to fall_

_Thirteen-month-old baby,_

_Broke the lookin' glass_

_Seven years of bad luck,_

_The good things in your past..._

I checked the surrounding area to make sure no one was observing me. The music volume was kept to a minimum for safety in case any passersby came through. Unlikely, due to the size of this forest but it never hurts to be careful.

After completing 27 arduous pullups on a nearby branch, I collapsed the armor, removed the neoprene under-suit, and jumped straight into the crystal water. Goodness, it was cold! Nevertheless, it couldn't have been any better so I swam bare-chested, bare-arms, and completely submerged my head. All of it felt incredibly refreshing and awakened my mind to a whole nother level.

Swimming proved challenging due to the web-like, bio-metallic, 3D-printed, see-through structure of my lower prosthetic legs that had a hollowed interior. I missed my old limbs and wished I could've gotten my bare feet wet but I maintained gratitude for the upper organic limbs I already had. At least if someone stepped on my toe or If I stepped on a lego piece/nail then I wouldn't feel a thing so it wasn't all that bad. On the other hand, having real upper limbs meant that you could still get paper cuts, burn your hands, smash your fingers in a doorway, or contract disease with a handshake.

After being completely soaked to the bone I grabbed the vial of shampoo, popped the lid off like a bottle of champagne, and dumped it all over my head. The texture felt so foamy and the lavender scent filled the entire immediate area with a strong cleansing sensation. I scrubbed and scrubbed, kept an eye on the horizon for onlookers, and scrubbed and scrubbed some more. My hair felt smooth as silk, my skin was newborn soft, and my six-pack was now more presentable.

Now that I was clean, I realized that my armor had gotten dirty ever since I first started roaming this planet. It was all white-colored so a little cleaning would make it shine in glory again. I grabbed all the parts, tossed them into the water, and used the remaining shampoo to rinse off the outer surfaces. After a little elbow grease, the helmet and chest plate looked much nicer since I first found the armor stowed away in a dusty military storage container from my previous world.

While I was at it, I also tossed the dark brown cloak into the water to get that washed as well. Ever since I found it on day one It had been lying in the dirt so it deserved a good little rinsing. It didn't take long and the cloak came out of the water much lighter than before now that all the foreign particles were washed away. Finally, I exited the cool water, made sure no one was around, then I grabbed one of the pink towels to dry off by using two for my body and one for my suit.

I placed my armor back on, the nanoparticles reformed their tight bonds at the gaps, and I draped the damp cloak over my back. I examined my entire body of armor and, my goodness, did I look great! Because of how fresh and bright the armor appeared, I held out my hand and forced the nanoparticles to assemble themselves into the shape of a pistol. Rather, a magnum due to its high stopping power.

With the weapon in my hand, it had a brilliant bright white appearance to it and it felt pretty neat to wield it. In a way, it gave me a sense of power as I aimed down the sites to admire the holographic light-blue reticles. I had the pistol pointed at the tree in front of me and was tempted to take a practice shot until I reluctantly lowered it after remembering the close call events of this morning. "Maybe next time," I whispered to myself as I holstered the pistol into my thigh where the particles merged with the suit.

Overall, I felt worthy enough to march at a military parade until I remembered that I had three pink towels to carry home with me. _Sigh_ , It would've been preferable to simply leave them here but I'm not a litterbug so I had to take them with me. Plus, Judy would likely ask for them back.

I draped them over my left shoulder and made my way out of the forest. There were no bread crumbs to follow but I remembered the way. The clock was ticking, I spent ten minutes extra showering than I should've so I had to jog a bit to make it on time. There was still plenty of light on the forest horizon so the pathway was well lit.

While jogging, the clean armor glistened in the bright sunlight, the cloak began to dry, and the pink towels flapped around on my shoulders. I cut through the thick bushes until I encountered a fallen log. I followed it lengthwise until it crossed a small ravine and then I jumped off it. The boulder field was directly ahead of me so I leaped from one rock to another until I found myself back in the dense forest where I was greeted once again by a large group of oak trees.

I encountered the same path Judy and I took earlier today so I followed it for a couple of minutes before I came across a downward slope that seemingly led down into BunnyBurrow. The trail was fading a bit so I must've taken a small detour without thinking. However, I figured it was close enough and should've led me back to where I came from.

After running full speed down the hill then applying the brakes, I found myself in a neighborhood area that was a bit unfamiliar to me. The houses were just the same as before, albeit with a different street layout, so I had to be close. Here, there were more bunnies out and about so I decided to remain high up in the hills to avoid detection from the dirt roads.

Each hill represented a house which meant all I had to do was find the hill with the bunny ears above the entrance and that would be the Hopp's home. Problem is, half of these bunny houses had bunny ears while the other half did not. Thus, that clue was useless

but I remembered the Hopp's family had a light blue truck so perhaps I could use that as an identifier, assuming Stu and Bonnie were home by now.

Time was nigh and my hour to return was drawing near but I couldn't find the Hopp's family home. I was lost, I didn't know where to go, and I started running to not waste any more time. I passed over a couple of hills and peeked over to see their entrances but no luck. I knew what the Hopp's home looked like but I couldn't find it anywhere. There was another hill in the distance, much larger than the one I was currently on, and it had a giant oak tree on top. This reminded me that the Hopp's home did have an oak tree so that was probably my best bet. I came over the hill from behind, climbed to the stop where the oak tree was, and then I ran downhill to see the entrance.

Not again! This wasn't the Hopp's home. It was someone else's home. Frustrated, I ran back up the hill to where the giant oak tree was, stood underneath it, and scanned the entire valley for somewhere else to go. All I could see were hundreds of hills in all directions which would've taken me hours to figure out which one was the correct one for the Hopp's family. The only clue remaining now was that they were within two miles of the forest but even that direction had hundreds of homes in it.

Feeling a little fed up with the situation, I threw my gauntlets up in the air in defeat and began walking away from the giant oak tree.

Out of nowhere, I felt a light object fall upon my shoulders which caused me to drop to my knees.

"Oof!" I exclaimed, not knowing what hit me.


	16. A Fairly Tail

"Rawr!" a young voice lightheartedly cried out.

"Hey!" I blurted while reaching back to grab whoever was dangling from my neck. Lo and behold, it was only a bunny. I held it out in front of me like a misbehaved toddler.

She couldn't stop giggling. "Ha! I scared you, didn't I?"

"Hazel?" I recognized. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just studying here in this tree, I heard you coming, and I saw you look all frantic and whatnot so I thought I'd mess with you!" 

"That, you did," I said as I set her down.

"I kinda missed you! How was your morning run with Jude the dude?" 

"It went well," I shrugged. "Nothing too out of the ordinary."

"No smashed wooden crates?" she asked while winking with a grin.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Not yet,"

"Ohh! I still can't get over this morning!" she laughed hysterically. "That was tooo funny!"

I scratched the top of my helmet. "Definitely won't happen again." 

"Oh, but if it does, I'll be there in the front row seat. Who knows, maybe I'll actually film it this time!" 

"Please no."

"Ha! I'm kidding!" she swatted my leg. "Besides, we don't want animals to study your, quote on quote, 'extraterrestrial' behavior now, do we? Don't worry! Your secret is safe with me."

My heart briefly dropped upon hearing her say that until I remembered Judy mentioning to me earlier today that Hazel already knew I wasn't from this world. Apparently, she figured it out but I wouldn't bring it up with her. Instead, I decided to play it casually. "Speaking of studying, aren't you supposed to be reviewing for finals with Daisy?"

"I was! But then she grew tired of studying and she fell asleep. Ha! So she left me all alone." 

"She's in the tree?" I pointed towards the canopy.

"No, silly! She's inside. We're actually standing on top of her house right now so I decided to just chill in the tree here because it's one of the biggest in BunnyBurrow."

I examined the tree and noticed that it was quite a fair size.

"I see." I steadily observed. "But don't you guys have a tree as well?"

"We do! But it's too slanted on a hill so my pencils would keep rolling off," she explained while motioning with her paws. "It might be a good place for a physics student who's studying gravity but I'm more into biology so I need a stable environment, you know."

"I get it," I said with a slow, tilted nod.

"Ha! Take that ridiculous thing off." she pointed at my helmet with her paw. "How do I know you're not makin' faces at me under there?"

"You're not supposed to know," I proudly affirmed while tapping my helmet. "Safety first, so I'll keep it on."

"Just one quick peek?" she requested. "I thought I saw something on your cheek this morning." 

"Yeah, you wish."

"Pretty please?" she begged with puppy-like eyes.

I shook my head. "I'm lost so maybe you could show the way back?"

"Alright, alright!" she admitted. "But at least make eye contact with me? Otherwise, I guess I won't be able to show you the way back." she smiled slyly as she checked the time on her watch. "Until then, I'm waiting for you Cherry." she tapped her foot impatiently.

It was preferable to keep my helmet on but she wouldn't let up. Instead of standing here all evening to bicker with a little teenage bunny, I decided to do as she requested. I briskly pulled the helmet off and tucked it under my arm. Instead of checking my sides in case anyone else was watching, I simply gave her a staredown.

This didn't phase her. Hazel's eyes widened in grand astonishment as if she were seeing me for the first time but she already saw me before. A cute bright smile of fascination came over her face which made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Okay, that's enough," I said while repositioning the helmet to be placed back on. "Wait, not yet!" she stopped me. "Your eyes... wow... they look sooo pretty!"

Her comment surprised me because I thought all the bunnies here had much better-looking eyes than any human, especially hers and Judy's. My eyes were about a third the size of theirs so I felt there wasn't any competition. "Um, thanks, I guess."

"And your golden fur," She pointed at my head. "Look how it gleams in the sun... so beautiful! Can I touch it?"

I placed the helmet back on my head. "No." I answered as my comfort levels went back to normal.

"Aww..." she expressed disappointed but was lucky enough for me to do such a thing so I didn't care. Either way, that warm friendly smile wouldn't leave her face.

"Okay Hazel, time for you to lead the way." I gestured into the horizon.

"Alrighty, fine Cherry," she griped. "But can you at least let me ride your shoulders on the way home?"

"What?"

"It'd be fun! Plus, I never got a turn yesterday."

"But you're leading the way. You've got two unbroken legs."

"Oh, c'mon Cherry, please? I'll tell you where to go, I promise! Please." she begged. "I've always wanted to experience being tall." 

Not wanting to break a little bunny's heart, I reluctantly gave in. "Whatever, as you wish." I beckoned with my hand, trying to offer her a lift.

"Yay!" she cheered as she immediately used the nearby tree to climb up to my height, hopped onto my right shoulder, and sat herself down. Well, that didn't take her very long.

"Don't grab the neck." I requested. "And don't fall off." 

"No worries, I won't!" she said with confidence.

I waited for her guidance but she was too occupied with the terrific view from my shoulders.

"Hazel," I called. " Directions?"

"Huh? Oh, sí, right! Hmm, let's see... You'll want to head straight down that road over there."

"Which one?" 

"On your left."

"Got it," I said as we descended down the hill.

"Mush!" she jokingly commanded which led me to stop in my tracks. "Or not mush, either way," she added.

"That's what I thought," I smirked. Of course, she'd never know if I were smirking or not. Gotta appreciate helmets.

We walked through the neighborhood which felt like a hilly maze but we seemingly made progress towards the Hopp's family home. If it weren't for me running into Hazel then I probably never would've found the home in time. The detour I took must've really taken me off course but now we were on the right track.

The teenage bunny on my shoulders was having a wonderful time up there as she grabbed my neck a few times, asked me to run on a couple of parts of the road, and continued to give me directions. She told me where to go but sometimes got distracted by the view and would tell me where to turn right after I missed it. Thus, she operated like a GPS with delayed prompts.

"Ooh, you smell like lavender." she sniffed. "Did you roll through a field of Lavandula angustifolia today?" 

It took me a minute to understand what exactly she was asking.

"No, but I had a shower," I answered. "Must be the shampoo."

"It smells nice! How'd you do it if you don't mind me asking?"

"Waterfall."

"Ah, I'm sure that was refreshing! Makes sense for a mammal of your size."

"Gotta do what you can."

She directed me uphill and pointed the way to another valley where the Hopp's family home finally came into sight. I knew it was the house because it had the large oak tree on top, the long bunny ears above the entryway, and the light blue-colored Hopp's family truck parked in front. Bonnie and Stu must've been home and there were many lights on inside so everyone else must've arrived home as well.

"By the way, Cherry, guess what day it is?"

I shrugged. "Family home evening?"

"Close! We're having a movie night!"

"Really?"

"Yep! So you better be there because we're watching one of my all-time favorites, Pig Hero 6, woot woot!"

"I don't have anywhere else to be," I said, realizing that I'd be heading over to Zootopia tomorrow.

"Good! That's what I thought," she said while playfully trying to mimic my statement from earlier.

Within three minutes, we arrived at the front of the Hopp's home and it felt great to be back at home base. Nevertheless, it would all be temporal because staying here would only put this innocent family in danger. I had to leave eventually, I didn't belong, but the bunny family did one heck of a job at taking in a human stranger like me. Especially one that didn't belong to this planet or this dimension.

They kept me alive, well-fed, clean, sheltered, protected, and supported. I owed them big time for everything and felt obligated to protect them from any danger or harm that could come their way. I prayed that nothing would happen to them but I did have the tools to keep them safe. It was all a matter of using those tools correctly as this morning had taught me.

In the meantime, I decided to use this night as a time to relax before heading down to the well-spoken city of Zootopia the next day. I didn't know what the city had in store, I didn't know what it was like, I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't know what the inhabitants were going to be like. At times, I felt nervous but Judy was the most hopeful, confident creature I had ever met so it was hard to feel doubt when she was around. She had a plan and seemed to know what she was doing so I trusted her. After all, who else am I going to trust? A bunny cop and a human soldier roaming the city, what could go wrong?

Luckily, we had the bear disguise being prepared for me. Not only did I hope for it to look decent in appearance but a little comfort while wearing it would be a nice extra. Either way, I promised myself to show gratitude because these little bunnies went out of their way to make it happen.

We entered the house, the front door sticky notes were gone, and everyone was hustling, bustling, and chatting about each other's days. Hazel slid down my cloak to go greet her siblings and Judy was there to warmly greet me as well. It was great to see Bonnie and Stu as well but Judy wished to show me something so she quickly led me towards another room of the house. On the way, I located the clothes hamper so I rapidly tossed in the pink towels until Judy pulled me by the gauntlet into another series of pink hallways within the house. Sometimes I felt like this house just kept going and going without having any end. At this point, a theme park map wouldn't be a stretch.

A couple of seconds later, we made a sharp left, ascended one set of stairs, and found ourselves in a new medium-sized room that was entirely filled with numerous arts and crafts. Everything in the room was either bunny or carrot themed but it was obvious that a ton of TLC was placed into each object. Baskets, dream catchers, pottery, wood carvings, and clothes to name a few were all well organized throughout the room. At the center table, I spotted a packaged wrapped in burlap that had the shape of a sleeping bag. Donovan brought it over and asked me to open it.

Wow. It felt like receiving an early Christmas gift. I and a few other eager bunnies worked together to see what was inside and it was a nice beautifully crafted...

... Tail.

It was a brilliant white color, just like the suit. The length spanned three feet, it felt incredibly fluffy, the craftsmanship, or, should I say, the craftsmammalship, was top-tier, the structure appeared realistic, and it even had an adapter to attach to my combat belt. Pretty nifty, I must say. These bunnies definitely worked their tails off. Even the tail's length was adjustable so being a wolf or a bear was equally likely at this point.

"Try it on!" "Yeah, try it!"

I listened to their voices and placed the tail right above my tailbone. My brown cloak draped in the way so I shaped my gauntlet nano-particle fingers into a blade, Edward Scissorhands style, albeit, less exaggerated, and I cut a small hole for the tail to fit through. Now I could almost pass as an animal warrior. Never in my life had I admired my behind until now. With humans, we usually focus on the abs or the biceps but rarely do we ever admire our posterior features. I guess we never had any reason to until now.

"So, what do you think?" Hazel inquired.

"It's pretty cool, I guess," I said while trying to make it look like I wasn't really posing. Not going to lie, I admired it greatly. This was probably because it marked the first step of blending into this world.

"You like it, don't you Cherry?" Judy laughed.

"Oh, he definitely does!" Donovan concluded while reaching for his back pocket. "I'm definitely getting a picture of this." He snapped a photo.

"Almost there!" someone commented. 

"He's lookin' great!" 

"I think it's perfect," another remarked.

Being at the center of attention surrounded by thirty bunnies wasn't my strongest suit so I tried my best to play it cool by not doing anything foolish. The room was tall enough for me to stand in but not breaking a light fixture while posing would be a good start. So far, I was doing well with this furry little audience.

"Thank you guys... for doing this." I bowed in gratitude.

"No problem! We actually had fun working on it."

"And there's a little more where that came from. The tail was kinda the big one but wait until you see the rest!" 

"Yeah, did you tell him about the wings?"

"Wings?" I gasped. These young bunnies were clearly losing it.

Hazel smiled. "Ha! Good one Violet! Sorry Cherry, we didn't really make you wings." 

I turned to inspect my rear extremity once more and nodded. "I figured, but the tail alone is worth the price of admission."

"Right? Who would've thought that the Hopp's family was so capable of crafting and carrot farming?"

"Yep! That's us! More costume pieces to be revealed shortly."

"How much do I owe you?" I inquired.

"Oh, shush. It's a gift Cherry. From us to you."

I couldn't help but smile at their warm gesture. Before I could speak, Bonnie and Stu called everyone down for dinner so the little bunnies filed their way out, took one last look at the beautiful tail, and disappeared into the winding hallways. The only ones remaining in the craft room were me, Judy, Hazel, Donovan, and, of course, little Cotton. Donovan peeked outside for others passing by before he closed the door to ensure we were alone.

"Now, one big thing that remains is disguising your helmet or mask thingy." Donovan pointed at my head. 

"Or whatever he calls it," Hazel shrugged.

"Yeah, we make helmet look...like...fluffy!" little Cotton innocently cheered.

"What? This?" I asked while desperately trying to sound confused. "Clearly it's my face. It's definitely not a helmet." 

They all looked at each other briefly before giving me a long blank look.

"Umm, Cherry? They know."

"Really?"

They all nodded their heads together in unison.

"Great," I thought.

"Yeeaah, we kinda figured it out," Donovan conceded. "But don't worry," Judy comforted. "It's just us."

"No one else knows," Hazel commented.

"And we'll keep it that way," Judy finished. "Pinky promise everyone?"

We all gathered in a circle, locked our promises in together, and I thought we'd do some sort of team chant but thank goodness we didn't. Instead, we remained completely casual and acted like there was no alien in the house. They explained to me that once everyone was in bed they'd work on the helmet by adding finishing touches to the disguise. Honestly, I was quite excited to see what they came up with. Whatever it was, I knew it'd be awesome because the tail I wore testified of their crafting abilities.

For the 275 bunnies this place housed, it was a miracle that only 7 of them knew the full truth. However, a small doubt came to mind.

If the other bunnies were involved with making a tail, then wouldn't they see that as a little suspicious? In other words, why on Earth would they randomly help make a false tail unless they knew it was for a nonanimal creature such as myself? While making our way towards supper, I pulled Donovan aside in the hallway to ask him the same thing and share my doubt. Fortunately, he convinced his bunny siblings that I once had a glorious tail until it froze off to a pole in Tundra Town so they offered to build me a makeshift one. I didn't care how the story went as long as they bought it, in which case, they did. _Phew!_

Everyone gathered in the dining hall eager for a delicious evening bite until it was revealed that Stu forgot to preheat the oven. Goodness, that was fun to watch! From across the room, I spotted the temperature knob hadn't been turned yet, I was going to say something, but I decided to savor the moment. Either way, the cherry smoothie filled me up from earlier today so I didn't feel too hungry. Stu celebrated too early by dramatically opening the oven door only to reveal that the carrot bread didn't even start baking.

'Oh cripes!' he blurted numerous times. Yep, 'Oh cripes' is right Stu.

Thus, I bought myself fifteen extra minutes so I decided to sneak out of the house and check on Stu's farm truck. Luckily, no one spotted me; at least, I don't think anyone did. I felt a little bad for not telling him about the oven so I decided to work on his truck to cut him some slack. He managed to get the car running since this morning but the main head gasket was still cracked and wouldn't last much longer for the next few days. Using my nano-tech, I shaped my fingertips into various tools and went to town on that engine. There were numerous sites of catalyst buildup so I cleared those out and then I created a heat bond around the points of stress to eliminate the gasket cracks. Everything about the car was smaller compared to the ones in my world so I had to be careful as to not break anything. After five minutes of delicate shimming and welding, the car was just about fixed. I had desires to test it out but the startup noise could've easily alerted anyone, especially a family who was born with giant ears so I had to wait. I've worked on cars before so I was 97% sure it would start up better than it did before. Until tomorrow, it would have to wait.

After closing the truck's hood an idea came to mind after using those repair tools. _Why not make claws?_ I thought to myself. It shouldn't be too hard plus it'd be a neat thing to have in case I encountered wolverine or black panther.

Now, I'm definitely not referring to ' _The Wolverine'_ or 'The Black Panther' but rather ' _a wolverine' or 'a black panther'._ Surely the city of Zootopia would have a couple of them there, one of them named Logan, I hoped. Ever since Judy and Hazel were showing off their claws this morning, it was my turn to do the same so I twiddled my fingers in an attempt to manipulate the nano-particles. Nothing.

I tried again but the claws wouldn't retain their shape. Strange. I guess it was because I hadn't created those shapes before since the ones I could create were those that I've done before. A few attempts later I made some progress but the particles kept reverting back to their original positions. Instead, I echoed my neuron pulses to create shapes based on what I already knew such as a flathead screwdriver. It was a stretch but my fingertips soon converted into five fine-tipped flatheads total, one for each finger, and it appeared like claws from a distance. They weren't sharp but they definitely had some potential.

Trying to focus harder, I made another close attempt to sharpen the tips even further but the particles ended up reverting back to their original configurations. On the sixth try, I suddenly heard a few young voices calling my name from a distance which distracted me to another failed attempt. The bunnies were looking for me so it was time to go. "Meh, forget it, screw this." I blurted as I stood back up to abandon the cybernetic manicure and walk back to the house. Perhaps another time.

Some asked where I went but I explained that it was all to go get some fresh air. Nothing more, nothing less. Dinner was finally ready, Bonnie and Stu really outdid themselves again, and everything smelled like it came from the finest bakery in Bunnyburrow. True, I hadn't been on this planet for too long, let alone visited any other bakery but I knew exactly what I was talking about. I didn't feel too hungry due to being nervous about tomorrow but I had a little Costco sample size of everything to keep it all balanced.

As I gradually warmed up to it I began to crave more and more items as they were being passed around the room. The carrot bread, in particular, was remarkably flavorsome so I took one more piece of that but I also had to grab a handful of berries as well. Can't miss out on those.

The raspberries and huckleberries were two of my favorites while blueberries were at the top of the list. I wasn't sure why I loved them so much, other than the fact that they had a plethora of admirable brain-boosting properties such as memory, de-aging neurons, and improved cell signaling. Another thing I liked about them was how easy they were to ingest because they simply phased right into my helmet filter with relative ease. Usually, there was a slight delay with other foods, due to them being potentially spoiled, but the blueberries simply passed straight through without any problems. Thus, they were perfectly safe to consume and it gave me another reason to rejoice.

With plenty of helping paws, we quickly cleaned up supper so there was enough daylight to go outside and participate in numerous fun activities. Outside felt like an amusement park because there were fluffy bunnies almost everywhere, from the branches of the oak trees, the open grass fields, the front porch, and the ample hilltop. The family members played things like hopscotch, tag, ninja-tag, hide-and-seek, kickball, dancing, tree-branch swinging, rolling down the hill, racing, chalk art, and soccer.

Sadly, there wasn't any rugby going on so I decided to stick with soccer for the rest of the evening. They invited me over to play so I thought why not. Would size matter? I was about to find out.

Donovan and Hazel were designated as the team captains so Donovan picked me first and then Hazel picked Judy. The game commenced and I scored the first goal...

...on our team's goal, that is. It was a bit embarrassing but I grew determined to make up for it. Judy went in for the block but my imposing size slowed her down and resulted in me scoring three goals for our team, so 3-1.

It felt wonderful winning a game on a sport that I found inferior compared to rugby. Both sports were fun of course but soccer was more about the legwork whereas rugby allowed me to use both arms and legs which is why I enjoyed rugby.

However, my rugby pride got the best of me once we reached halftime. The score was 7-3 but Judy began scoring goals on us like crazy and I don't know what had gotten into her. She had that strong ambitious look on her face as she moved swiftly and nimbly through my blocks which rendered them completely ineffective despite my height. She slid under, jumped over, hopped over, and dodged through all my defensive stances because she eventually learned my weaknesses and used them against me. Clever bunny.

By the time we reached the final quarter, the score was at 8-17. We had an intense match, they put me as the goalkeeper and they had two other bunnies both play as goalkeepers to balance it out. Finally, the ending score was...

17-27.

That was too bad... I suppose bigger wasn't always better. As far as Rugby goes, better wasn't always bigger. Our team had lost big time. Not only was Judy an excellent soccer player but everyone else also did incredibly well. Hazel could play while texting on her phone and Donovan was well skilled with those long-range kicks.

We played a few more games until everyone else decided to hang out, chill on the hilltop, and chat about the wonders of life. I wasn't much of a talker for I thought silence was golden but all the other bunnies had plenty to talk about. I overheard some talking about the carrot festival, a lightning strike, school finals, sports, music, art, the farm, and the sunset.

All this serenity gave a sense of being in the shire and I was sure going to miss it. Everyone here was happy, joyful, cheerful, and at peace because the family was back together again. It was a bittersweet moment because I had to leave this place tomorrow morning and go where I needed to go. A human never belonged here or ever should've been here so this was the right thing to do for the sake of this innocent family. At least I wouldn't be alone and Judy would also have to leave this place as she's already done numerous times for work.

While we were enjoying each other's company, time was flying by fast and it was getting late as it always does. We filed our way into the Hopp's family home, I crawled my way through the front door, a couple of bunnies kept playing with my tail, so I crawled faster to stay ahead of them. My, they sure seemed to enjoy the fluffy tail as much as I did.

Hazel wouldn't stop talking about the movie we were going to watch so she herded us into a large family room that was about two-thirds the size of the dining hall. While not quite as big, it was a considerable size, even for someone like me, and it had a large digital 70-inch screen situated in the middle. Behind the screen were numerous seats of different shapes, sizes, and dimensions that ranged from chairs, sofas, love-sacs, pillows, and stools. Some were in the shape of carrots, others resembled bricks of hay, while the rest were simply pink in color. Good taste, I suppose.

Multiple bunnies were crowding from behind so I walked over to the back of the room to allow them entry. It felt like coming to a bunny-themed movie theater that was going well above and beyond carrying capacity. If someone were to ask me how many bunnies I thought could fit in a room then I would've answered seven about a week ago; Now, my answer was seven times seven. Goodness, I stood all amazed at how big this family was!

Judy was getting popcorn for her siblings while Hazel was preparing the device to play movies so I made my way over to the table between her and the T.V. to see what those colorful objects were on top.

Turns out, they were all movie covers that resembled films that were vaguely familiar to me from my previous simulated world. Wow, they all must've been those Digital Versatile Disks, or DVDs, from the olden days. In my world, these things would've been classified as antiques if it weren't for their strange-looking animal variations.

I saw titles under Floatzen 2, Giraffic, Meowana, Wreck-it-Rhino, Wrangled, and, of course, Hazel's 'favorite', Pig Hero 6.

"So...," I grabbed the movie and examined the case. "This is the one?"

"Yep!" Hazel answered with her back turned, facing the DVD player while connecting the cords. "It's one of my favorites. You're going to love it!"

"But it says six on it."

"So?"

"So isn't there a part one, part two, part three, and so forth? This is part 6."

"Huh? No silly! I _wish_ there were that many movies, ha! But it says six because there are six heroes in the movie."

Made sense. I should've known so I set the movie down and returned to the back of the room. All the bunnies were eagerly seated like most audiences were in theaters and they all peaked in excitement when Judy and a few other siblings brought in large bowls of freshly popped popcorn and passed them around. They all had slightly different colors with one being orange in color that was set down closest to me.

I pointed. "That's gotta be carrot popcorn."

"No, this is cheese popcorn." a young bunny nearby corrected me while grabbing a pawful. "I don't think that even exists, I mean, who in their right mind would eat 'carrot' popcorn?"

 _Umm, you?_ I thought to myself. However, I didn't say anything.

Once the popcorn bowls were evenly distributed throughout the room, Judy dimmed the lights, Hazel started the movie, and I leaned against the back wall to see what type of movie this was. It's been forever since I watched any movie and this would be the first time doing it on a foreign planet which initially felt weird to think about.

As the movie was going through some previews, Hazel and Judy beckoned me to join them on the left front row. However, I shook my head at their kind offer because I didn't want to block anyone's view. Hazel didn't take 'no' for an answer so she came over to where I was, grabbed my hand with both paws, and pulled me over to where she and Judy were sitting. It all felt awkward because a big man like me was doing perfectly fine in the back row alone but they insisted so I had no choice.

The sofa was too small to comfortably sit in so I sat on the carpet floor with my back leaned against the base. Having a tail took some getting used to so I had to angle the tail a bit to properly sit down. This allowed other bunnies more room to sit in the chair behind me and more bunnies piled in as the previews finished. I swear, every time a bunny came through that door it was a bunny that I'd never seen before. By the time the movie started, the room likely had an audience of over seventy-seven bunnies, plus an oversized human.

I peeked over my shoulder to see Judy texting someone named Nick and both were exchanging their fair share of messages which made her smile. I didn't read the messages but whoever this bunny named Nick was, I imagined he must've liked Judy a lot based on all the hearty emojis he was sending her.

Five minutes into the movie, five more bunnies came into the room. Jeez, they just kept coming and coming and Cotton was one of them. She ran over to Judy to sat in her lap while the other bunnies sat in the chair behind me since everywhere else was full. Hazel pretended that she couldn't see the screen well so she used that as an excuse to sit on my lap for the rest of the movie which caused a few other bunnies to follow suit.

 _Great_. Now I'm trapped here. The bunnies were adorable, nothing would change that, but they had a complete disregard for personal space and I worried that my legs would soon fall asleep. Or worse, the bunnies would fall asleep.

Not being able to move hardly at all, I decided to pay attention to the screen and watch the rest of the movie with everybody else. The first thing I noticed about this movie was that all the actors were real. Meaning, none of it was computer animated since the animal characters in the movie were filmed using live-action mammals. Very interesting, I pondered.

The story itself wasn't too bad and it explored a good many of things. It talked about the future, microbots, technology, gadgets, a young side-kick, advanced weapons, artificial intelligence, saving the world, science, stopping a vengeful villain, and a white-suited pig bot. For some unknown reason, all of these things felt slightly familiar to me. Based on the front cover I sorta knew why Hazel picked such a movie for all of us to watch.

Overall, it ended up being a great show and I appreciated the storyline. I fell asleep a couple of times due to the exhausting morning run we had today but I managed to watch most of it.

It was now time for bed and a couple of bunnies in the room were already fast asleep, including one that was in my lap. Bonnie, Stu, and the babysitter named Chelsie from earlier today all came in to take them to their beds and tuck them in for the night. Judy cradled her tired little niece Cotton while Hazel picked up the little bunny from my lap and took her upstairs. Watching them both carry their siblings was such a tender moment for it demonstrated how loving they were as sisters.

In fact, both the Howel family and the Hopps family were collectively remarkable and it was an honor to be among them. I knew other families existed out there but these two families were hard to beat and no family from my previous world came close to beating them.

Tonight was the last night with them so I felt it necessary to take in every moment I could because I had no way of knowing what might happen the next couple of days.

I headed to the garage and decided to get a good night's rest before the big day tomorrow. No bad dreams, no broken crates, and no flashbacks from the war. Just a good night's sleep.

I removed my helmet, fell backward on the bed, and immediately shut my eyes to doze off for the night. My body was too tired to move so I laid there as still as a rock and fell into a deep deep sleep.

A couple of hours later, I opened my eyes upon the sight of sunlight bleeding through the garage door windows. Did I really get some decent sleep? Yes, I most certainly did. I couldn't believe it and had to pinch myself to make sure. I even checked my hands and I still had all five fingers without a single strand of fur. _Good, still human._

Thus, this morning was already off to an excellent start and it wasn't even seven o'clock yet. All the vegetable crates were intact, my body was well-rested, and I was nervously excited to go to the big city.

Thus, all was well and all was in my favor. Judy told me yesterday that we'd be leaving first thing in the morning so I had to make haste and get ready.

Bed made, check. 

Garage clean, check.

Cloak, check.

Fluffy tail, check.

Morning pushups, check.

Water, check.

Gauntlets, check. 

Weapons, check. 

Boots, check.

Helmet,

Hold on, where'd my helmet go?

I frantically searched the cupboards and drawers in the garage but it was nowhere to be found. Behind the crates, no. Under the bed, no. And under the toolbox, no. Where could it have gone?

Without the helmet, I'd easily be spotted so I had to find it fast. I tried to go outside but there were already bunny neighbors roaming about across the street. With no other option in mind, I pulled the hood over my head and looked down to conceal my face.

Like a hooded Nazgûl from Lord of the Rings that would find the ring, I would go out there and find my mask.

I snuck out the back door and began my search, hoping it would be done in the next twenty minutes before we left. With great stride in every step I took, I moved across the property with such outspoken determination until I realized that it was misplaced.

Before I could enter the house, and at the corner of my eye, I spotted Hazel on the front patio relaxing in a swivel chair with her feet up on the banister. On the floor next to her was a large white object that resembled what I was looking for.

However, it wasn't exactly what I thought it was.

I approached Hazel and she stopped what she was doing to turn and face me. "Morning Cherry! How are we doing today?"

As I took one step closer, I squinted my eyes to reveal that something wasn't right.

"Wait, is that... my helmet?!"

"Yep! It sure is!"

"You gotta be kidding me..."

"Nope! We worked on it late last night. "

I picked up the helmet and couldn't believe what I was actually seeing. No way that just happened. Pink and white glitter everywhere.

"Since when did polar bears have pink noses?" I asked.

Hazel smiled. "I think it's kinda cute!"

I shook my head "Hazel, whatever your definition of cute is, it needs some work."


	17. Platform 9¾

Well... so much for looking decent. I mean, the gesture was much appreciated and the bunnies did a marvelous job on crafting the tail; but the helmet, my goodness, the helmet was just... the worst. I thought to transform into a rabbit was a bad dream but this unwarranted apparatus in my gauntlets was an absolute nightmare. One doesn't travel all the way across the universe to have a state of the art nano helmet become presumptuously decorated by young bunnies to look like a deranged Easter bear. Yes, it was scary and it wasn't even Halloween yet.

The rest of the morning felt like an energetic hustle for a grand marathon. Everyone awakened from their habitations and gathered outside the Hopp's family home to spend a couple of quick last minute moments with Judy before she would leave for the city. This time, I'd be going with her and who knows if I'd ever come back here. Judy would, of course, since this was her family but it was unlikely for me.

In all honesty, I was going to miss these fluffy little bunnies but I knew that we'd somehow stay in touch since social media was a big thing here. Donovan, Hazel, and a few others gave me their numbers yesterday so that they could share the proud pictures of my new tail. Yes, the tail was marvelous, along with the patches of white fur to sell my disguise a bit more, but the helmet, gosh, that helmet I just couldn't stop looking at it without trembling my head. I suppose the ears weren't too bad but the face, why the face? It had a smile drawn on the mouth-guard which implied that I'd be smiling by default. Nope, not happy with that. I'm not an overly cheerful high school mascot.

"Aww, come on. " Judy laughed. I flinched a little as I didn't see her standing at the front porch doorway. "You're not going to break my sisters' hearts now are you?"

"It's a possibility at this point," I replied while attempting to scratch away some of the glitters.

"You should've seen your face!" Hazel graciously mocked. "That look of shock on you was priceless."

I shook my head in disappointment and carelessly lifted my helmet in front of her. "This helmet is priceless... ...and it's not to be meddled with."

"C'mon Cherry, you gotta learn to laugh a little and have some fun." Hazel casually spoke. "Your helmet's too scary looking anyway."

"If only it scared you away from decorating it." I frowned.

"Just wear it to the station and you can clean it when we get there." Judy lifted her niece Cotton onto her shoulders. "Besides, I think it suits you well. We all do, actually... Right Cotton?" 

"Yeah!"

"Whatever." I grudged while placing the helmet of shame on my head. "I guess I can survive until then. But wait... you said station?"

"That's right. We're taking the train to Zootopia."

"Zoooooootopia!" Cotton cheered while embracing Judy's head. "I'm gonna miss you Judy!" 

"I'm gonna miss you more!"

"I'm gonna miss you the mostest!"

"And we're going to miss you too!" Stu called from the truck. Didn't realize he was standing there the whole time. "I guess we'd better get going or you both are gonna miss your ride and have to spend another day with us."

"Oh, yes, that's right, Stu." Bonnie poked her head out the window. "We already made Judy fifteen minutes late."

"Heck, any extra time we can get is worth it."

"Mm-hm, amen."

Judy had her lime green carrot themed suitcase in her paw and happily skipped towards the farm truck while keeping little Cotton steady on her shoulders. That little niece of hers didn't want to let her go so she tried to get as much playtime with Judy as possible.

All the other little bunnies continued to pile their way out of the house until an entire congregation-like group gathered on the front lawn until it felt like an ocean of furries. There was no way we'd all fit in that truck but my doubt promptly disappeared when a large yellow school-bus pulled up in front of the house. It was about 3/4 the size of a typical one found at home but still sizable enough to fit a large sum of passengers. As with every strange-looking vehicle on this planet, the bus had two large bunny ears above the driver seat, which gave the entire ride a yellow bunny-like appearance. Not exactly aerodynamic but that's how they rolled here, I suppose.

Judy's energetic siblings and family members piled into the bus one-by-one like a GIF on repeat until she came in from behind. Apparently, they were all able to fit inside without weighing the bus down even a slight bit; but, so many were contained inside that all the windows were rolled down and their little heads/ears were popping out. I guess everyone's decided to come along to bid farewell to Judy.

"Alright Cherry, hop on in," Stu called, gesturing to the truck bed. 

"The truck?"

"Yep! You're big for shotgun but you'll fit fine in the back." 

"You sure about that?" I scratched my head.

"She'll hold up!" Stu affirmed. "You pushed us home in this truck and now it's our turn to give you a ride." 

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't mind walking."

"Nonsense, you'll be doing plenty of that in Zootopia."

"Oh, yes, rest your legs." Bonnie agreed. "You'll thank us later."

"Okay, you insisted." I approached the back of the truck and carefully sat down my center of mass towards the middle. My back was leaned against the cabin window and I allowed my legs to dangle out. I kept sitting on my tail so it required a bit of maneuvering to place it in a comfortable position and I honestly had no idea how the animals here sat down with them. Hopefully, I'd figure it out eventually with practice but for now, I managed. Despite my weight, the truck only dipped down a couple of inches.

Hazel came running towards the truck, "Can I ride in the back too?"

"Just be careful." Bonnie cautioned.

As Hazel climbed into the back of the truck, a mixed feeling of irritation grew inside of me. I was looking forward to enjoying the ride alone but now I'd be responsible for ensuring the safety of a little bunny. She kept following me and I almost wanted to dismiss her into the school bus but I restrained myself from doing so. After all, she ruined my helmet and my dignity.

Either way, she sat down next to me, made herself comfortable, and everyone was now loaded into the vehicles. Stu turned the ignition key, there was a brief rattle, and the truck immediately started. Thank goodness my repairs were successful because I would've made us all late.

The school bus went first down the long dirt road and Stu followed it from behind as if we were in a convoy. Within a few minutes, we were now riding on the paved roadway which lead us away from the hills and into the plains. The area was wide open, green, and many spacious carrot patches were located on both sides of the road. Facing backward it was hard to say goodbye to this place because as temporal as it was, it sure felt like a good place to live. It felt like home. The forest, the farms, the trees, the waterfalls, and the ample landscapes would all be behind me; but now, it was time to move on. Perhaps one day I could stop by again but not likely.

Hazel and I hardly talked at all during the ride and I didn't want her to think that I was still upset with her. All she did was rest her head on her folded forearms and stared at the painted lines passing us along the roadway so I decided to initiate a conversation.

"So, where'd the school bus come from?"

She didn't respond initially but one ear perked up while regaining focus and then she turned her head back. "Oh, umm, Mrs. Konejo is a school field trip coordinator who owns the bus and she's my mom's friend. She's always kind enough to let us borrow it when we travel to the station." 

"Convenient, I must say."

"Yep," she spoke with a pause, trying to think of what else to say. "But the cool kids ride the truck!" Hazel winked while attempting to give me a high four/five which I shrugged off. "I mean, not that you're a kid or anything, but, well, you know, it's kinda like VIP."

She kept smiling while trying to brighten the atmosphere but I wasn't in the mood. Much was going through my mind and not only did I feel nervous about going to the big city but I also didn't know what to expect. My stress built up from inside and I knew that even with a disguise I wouldn't be free from mockery and/or attention because I was different from the rest. At best, the disguise would buy me time but it wouldn't secure it forever. It's almost as good as putting a harry potter invisibility cloak on the incredible Hulk's head where people would ask, 'Oh, what's this big green monster without a head? It can't be the Hulk!"

After a bit of persistence, I wiped off the smile that was drawn on my helmet to match the flat mood that was on my real face. Hazel's ears drooped a bit in sadness as she could see that I was trying to erase away the designs that she and her sisters drew. It's as if she did her best on some school artwork project, submitted it to the teacher, but still getting a C+ grade. Never had I seen her so sad that it started to hit me. She wasn't upset nor was she angry that I was undoing her designs but rather she seemed to feel helpless in a time when she was only trying to help me blend in.

Whatever marker/glitter pen she used to draw the design was stronger than I thought and extremely difficult to remove. A little frustrating for sure but I did my best to hide the negativity.

...

"Cherry, I'm sorry about your disguise," Hazel sadly apologized. "Really, I am."

She caught me by surprise because I was thinking she'd try to convince me to keep her design but she knew that I didn't appreciate it. At this point, she had given up on defending her artwork which was good because biology was her area of expertise after all. The helmet was indeed dreadful but at least the rest of the outfit was quite decent. Since today was the last day I had to show some gratitude to avoid leaving on a down note. Besides, Hazel was such a sweet little bunny that I couldn't afford to break her big heart, as Judy mentioned.

"What do you mean?" I inquired, trying to act surprised. "The tail's great." 

"No, no, I mean... your mask-thing."

After a brief pause, I peaked at the bus that was driving ahead to make sure no one was looking. I took off the mask again to examine the sparkles around the eyes and compared it to Hazel's eyes because they too appeared to sparkle, though with a hint of regret. The situation wasn't favorable anymore because I didn't want it all centered around me, my helmet, and my ego so I decided to get her involved again.

"You know what Hazel?" 

"What?"

"It's not that bad." 

"Really?"

"Yeah, It's fine."

"But Cherry... I can tell you don't like it."

"Well, it's still bad... but it's not 'that' bad."

"Please... you can change it if you want," she begged with a sorry voice. "I didn't mean to make you feel awkward. I just wanted you to feel...um..."

"Normal?" I guessed.

"S-something like that, yes." she nodded in a confessed manner. "I'll admit, we got a little silly and carried away but we thought that it'd distract others from your intimidating looks..."

"Hmm," I thought, looking at the design again. "I see what you did there."

"But please forgive me! I didn't mean to ruin your helmet."

"It's not ruined."

She paused for a moment then her ears perked up in relief. "So you're not going to change it?" 

"Believe me, I most definitely will."

Her countenance then dropped. "Here, let me get you a washcloth and--" 

"Not necessary, " I interrupted.

"But that stuff won't come off unless you--"

"Hazel, don't worry," I spoke up again while trying to be as friendly as possible. She had the impression that I was getting irritated with her help offerings but I was going to show her different. "I think I know what to do." I boldly stated.

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion. "You're not going to throw it off the truck are you?" 

"Even better," I stated. "Watch this."

She carefully switched between looking at my face, my hand, and my helmet while not knowing what to expect. Before I was about to manipulate the helmet particles, an impression came to mind. Why not get her involved? That way, I could give her the illusion that she was helping out.

"Wait, but first," I said while setting the helmet down with the front-facing both of us. "Place your han-, err, paw thing, here." as I pointed to the forehead part of the helmet.

"Okay!" she eagerly placed her paw on the helmet until a look of concern came to her face which caused her to retreat her paw. "Hold up, this isn't one of those joy buzzer pranks, is it?"

"No, of course not."

"Alrighty," she resumed placing her paw back. "I'll just have to trust you."

From here, I had a design mapped inside my head and was eager to let the brain neurons fire away so that the nano-particles could shape the idea into reality. It would all come from me but I wished to have Hazel's participation in hopes that she'd feel like she also had an influence.

"No matter what happens," I instructed. "Don't lift your paw. Just watch."

"I'm watching." she smiled in nervousness while continuously repeating. "Please don't shock me, please don't shock me..."

I placed my gauntlet finger on the side of the helmet to make a connection and within seconds the nano-particles on the surface all began to move in unison. They went from a solid-state into a sand-like state until they condensed themselves down further and moved like billions of dust particles as if they were traveling between two crystal clear glass planes. All the movement caused each of the googly eyes to fall off one by one until they were no more and then the permanent marker drawings faded away as the particles beneath them shifted around to a point that it fell off like dry erase marker. No eraser was needed and no water was necessary because the slight micro-vibrations between the particles were able to shake away the foreign particles. Finally, the pink nose markings gradually disappeared into thin air as the surface below it reassembled to a point where it wasn't as adhesive anymore.

Hazel kept her paw on the forehead part of the helmet but, my goodness, she acted as if she were seeing a ghost! It's as if my helmet were Casper because she was initially scared until she eventually became fascinated upon the realization that it was all friendly. Her mouth hung open for the next couple of seconds and it made me smile because It's something that they don't teach kids in school here. She laughed in joy as the nano-particles below her paw reassembled into a new configuration which was now the final design and finishing touches of the project in mind. In other words, the cherry was now placed on top of the cake. I nodded then she slowly pulled her paw away.

"Whoa! HOW'D you do that? That is sooooooo freaking cool!" 

"It's nanotech, you like it?"

"I LOVE it! Whatever it is," she giggled. "And the design, WOW! Just look at that design!"

"Shh, keep your voice down," I gestured.

"Sorry, sorry... it's just... WOW!" She pulled her phone out to take a picture. "Now that is amazing."

"Thank you for making it happen," I gave her a proud nod.

"Whats? I did that?! I didn't do that!" she looked at me in a puzzled way.

"You did something." I pretended while trying to give her credit. "We redesigned it together."

"But...But how?" she questioned with grand curiosity. "What was that?"

I gave a simple shrug. "Science," I replied while turning the helmet to view it from different angles. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"More like magic!"

"Not exactly."

Of course, to an uninitiated being such as herself, it'd appear like magic.

"Wow, so, umm... aaaaren't you going to tell me how it all works? I'd REALLY like to know." 

"No," I replied while placing the new helmet on my head. "Just trust me."

...

...

...

From the truck bed, I turned my head around to look for something reflective. I wanted to see my new look so I peeked over the side of the truck to catch a quick glimpse of myself through one of the side-view mirrors. My goodness, I sure looked great; at least, I thought I did. I kept the ears as a nod to the original ugly helmet design but I securely fastened them with nanoparticle anchor points. The helmet and armor overall was much smoother on the surface while the eyes were greatly widened to appear more like an animal and less like a robot.

I was originally going to smoothen out the entire armor but I didn't want to appear as a naked white animal so I left most of the chestguard unchanged. The legs were also left untouched to give the impression that I was wearing white clothing but the arms kept the tiny fur particles in place as if my furry arms were exposed. The Hopp's family definitely selected some fine quality white furs because they seemed to bond well with the nano-particles.

The new-look felt much better and more aggressive now even though it definitely wasn't the perfect solution. In fact, I'd probably attract as much attention as the original design but at least my face didn't look like a spider or Corduroy the bear anymore. Above all, I was happy with it and felt ready to approach the big city. Perhaps my confidence was overbearing and my willingness to take such a gamble would cost me. Nevertheless, I was more than satisfied with the design because it gave me a slight sense of belonging.

And it came to pass that as we drove further down the roadway, we came into a large valley that was far wider than any other I've seen on this planet. There were no houses or buildings but there were plenty of diverse crop fields scattered throughout. The fields went miles in one direction and miles in the other direction with large multitudes of bunnies working within them. It was a beautiful Sunday morning here due to the simplicity of everything and the scattered oak trees dotted the landscape with such an intricate pattern.

Thank goodness I agreed to ride in the back of the truck because it all felt like a five-star carriage ride during colonial times. The air was fresh, the sky was calm, the sunrise was gleaming, and the whole place seemed to have a golden glow to it. If someone put me in charge of designing postcards for BunnyBurrows then I'd definitely put this place at the top of the list because it was so special to me. My former world used to have locations similar to this but we already knew what happened to them.

We continued to travel as a bunny/human convoy, the school-bus in front and the farm-truck in the back, and we made our way across the valley until I spotted a thin glowing strip that stretched across the plains. Soon did I realize that It was actually the train tracks.

My eyes followed them to the right but they disappeared into a mountain passage so I turned back to the left and followed them into a group of oak trees. From the oak trees, the tracks exited outward into the far ends of the valley so the train station had to be somewhere behind those trees because there was no other structure in sight.

Seven minutes later and after a few games of I-Spy with Hazel, there was one structure that emerged on the horizon as we came over a final hill; however, from what I could barely see, it was only a wooden hut. As we drove closer, It looked much like a typical Bunnyburrow house due to the similar concave down archways with the giant bunny ears on top. However, it was notably different since the main lower structure was painted yellow instead of pink and the ears on top had a more ornamental design. Not only was the overall structure fancier and more traditional looking but it wasn't partially tucked into a hill like most of the homes back in the bunny shire. Instead, this building stood on its own, adjacent to the train tracks.

"Here we are!" Hazel announced.

We pulled into a small dirt parking lot next to a carrot farm patch and the bus backed up and parked next to the farm truck. We all gradually unloaded ourselves, the truck's struts creaked loudly from the relief of my 230+ lb body, and we all gathered together as one large group. Everyone around me felt like a kid in terms of height but I had to remember that some of the bunnies were also adults. Never in my life had I seen so many eyes and ears surrounding me that I could hardly step anywhere without almost squashing someone.

It was rather impressive to find everyone here in honor of Judy before she left for the city because it showed how much she was truly loved by her family. My presence might've convinced a few bunnies to come along but I knew for a fact that most were here because of her. Not only was she a great sister and aunt but she was also a hero to the family. The way everyone interacted with her said it all and it was incredibly heart-touching, even for a hardened former soldier such as myself.

After we were fully unloaded from the vehicles, we followed the little ones down a brick road and up a ramp that led closer to the ornate wooden station. While making our way there, a few bunnies caught glimpses of my new look and started whispering to each other. It was hard to make out what they were saying but I could tell that they liked it.

It took Judy a while to notice because she was playing with many of her siblings but she managed to look up and take note. "Oh, _oh_..." she gasped in surprise while walking next to me. "You look different."

"What do you think?"

"Hmm," she thought out loud. "I kinda like it actually! But... don't you think it's missing something?" 

"Like what?" I wondered.

"Maybe a smile?"

"No. Besides, we've got your bright smile." 

"An extra smile never hurts, Cherry."

"We've got markers!" Cotton offered.

I shook my head. "I'll pass on that."

"Okay, suit yourself." Judy shrugged. I wondered if her pun was intended or not.

Behold, we reached the train platform and it gave me those Dr. Seuss vibes again. There was a little bit of Disney feeling in there as well because the pillars sustaining various parts of the structure were shaped like carrots. All of them were well crafted and freshly painted among other parts of the building. The building itself was surprisingly taller than me which felt impressive in that a bunny sized creature could appreciate its sheer size more. Arching my head a bit, I missed out on a few other details such as the burnt purple shingled roof, the ear-shaped iron fencing on top, a bunny faced Amarillo painted wall, and a chimney with a metallic spout for smoke that was also shaped like a bunny's ears. Never would've guessed that.

Most of us didn't go inside and I especially didn't feel like going in. It wasn't necessarily due to my height but rather I felt that my tail would've caused too much trouble. Who knows how much merchandise I would've knocked over had I attempted to enter. Besides, the interior was probably filled with more bunny-themed objects just like the outside. Instead, a couple of Judy's family members disappeared through the double doors for a brief moment then they exited with one of them holding two slips of tickets. It looked like in this world they still printed things on paper as opposed to keeping it electronic. Interesting.

It was sure nice of them to obtain tickets for us and I hoped that they didn't cost too much here. Everything in my world was ridiculously inflated so I was curious to find out how the currency worked here versus the effort required to earn it. There was a time on my former Earth that buying a ticket to Africa would cost two-weeks worth of a paycheck whereas a trip to Mars would cost forty-four-months' worth of income, not including luggage or carry-on.

Another odd thing about this BunnyBurrow station was the easiness of approaching the train platform without having to pass through a security check. There were no metal detectors, no x-rays, no wall phasers, no heat rays, no EMPs, no armed guards, no dogs, no retina devices, no masks required, and no drones. None of that. I guess not having dogs in this world was understandable because that would imply slavery but everything else seemed a bit surprising to me.

I understood that some of those things were beyond their timeline but at least a metal detector or a security guard would've been better than nothing. After all, I could tell they had the technology for that. Did this world not experience their own 9/11 yet? It was a little concerning to me but I had to remember that this world was more at peace than my previous world ever was. Humans hated each other over small things, we were always at war, and intergalactic terrorism was on the rise before our world fell.

Upon this platform, it was mostly bunnies but I did spot a few other animals such as sheep, goats, billy goats, rams, otters, and a yak or two. They all minded their own business and contention didn't seem to exist between any of them. Once in a while, they'd wave to each other and even smile which was something we never did back in my world. Instead, we ignored each other, we kept our distance, and we never cared about how each other's days were going. Some humans tried to make a difference but they were always outnumbered by those who wouldn't.

Thus, anyone could walk up to this station and board the train which was asking for trouble in my world; but here, it must've mattered not. The longer I stood there, the more I realized that all was truly well. It was almost too good to be true but it was true because I could see it with my very own eyes. The family was together, kids were having fun, aunts and uncles got along, everyone knew each other by name, and the parents stood proud as they observed the children interacting.

While admiring the peaceful family gathering upon the platform, I heard a male PA voice make an announcement:

_Zootopia Express. Arriving 5 minutes._

Upon hearing this, everyone made quicker and last-minute interactions with Judy before it was time to go. Next to me stood Bonnie and Stu who was smiling proudly at their daughter Judy while getting emotional because it was almost time for her to depart. Stu especially began to sob noisily and uncontrollably.

"Doing okay, Stu?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, I'm fine actually." he wiped away his tears. "I think I just bit my tongue is all."

"Oh, Stu, we're all going to miss our Judy." Bonnie embraces Stu. "Cherry, no matter how many times we do this it's always hard to let her go."

"I bet." I nodded in agreement. "She's a good... mammal."

"Mm-hm, we're really proud of her."

"That's right. We have to share our daughter, you know. We'd keep her to ourselves but the city needs her just as much as we do."

I looked ahead to see Judy hugging all her siblings. There were so many of them but so little time that they started doing group hugs. After a brief pause, I turned my head to Stu.

"So, you been to this... Zootopia before?" I folded my arms.

"Oh, I've been to Zootopia a couple of times."

"What's it like?" I wondered.

"Well, cripes, you're going to feel a hecka lot shorter, I'll tell you that."

"Tall buildings?"

"Tall animals!" Stu said. "Before you know it, you'll be surrounded on all sides,"

"Got any advice?"

"Don't get squashed!" Stu nervously chuckled.

"Oh, Stu," Bonnie facepalmed.

"What? It's true," he shrugged. "Remember what happened to cousin Thumper?"

Bonnie shook her head and sighed.

"Anything else?" I asked.

Stu placed a paw under his chin to think. "Uh, no, that's pretty much it."

"Right," I muttered under my breathe. I guess the best advice going forward would be to look both ways before crossing a street, which applies to anywhere you go. Back when I traveled to D.C., New York, Chicago, New Coruscant, Dubai, West Alexandria, and Hong Kong for the first time, I got anxious before the arrival and I'm sure Zootopia wouldn't be any different. New territory for sure but at least the travel there wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.

"I got your leg, I got your leg!" a young voice teased from below. I lifted my leg to see a little white bunny wrapped herself around my boot. Turns out, it was little Luna.

"Okay, that's enough. Let go of my leg." I lifted my leg, trying to be as gentle as possible. "Come on. You can do it. Just release the grip."

"Higher! Higher!" she cheered.

I looked over to Judy and Hazel for assistance but they only stood there with a bright grin on their faces. Bonnie and Stu were taking pictures and not helping either so I tried to pull the little bunny off of me but she would not let go. I could've benefitted from Elsa's song right now but I didn't know the lyrics and wasn't much of a singer either. I didn't mind kids but this one was already wearing me out for the day and it was only morning time.

"Goodness, how in the world...?" I asked as I gripped her by the sides but she wouldn't budge. "It's like getting stuck with a semtex grenade... crowbar, anyone?"

No one understood my reference so they shrugged it off and continued to let Luna have her fun. A few seconds later, Bonnie finally came to the rescue. "Alright Luna, time to let Cherry go," she said while approaching my position. She tickled Luna, causing her to laugh, loosen her grip, and fall into Bonnie's arms.

"Three more minutes!" Hazel announced while hopping up and down. "Why does time have to go by so fast?" "Right? It's not fair." Donovan agreed. "But hey, what can you do?"

"Sometimes, all we can do is savor the moment," Judy answered while embracing Donovan and Hazel. "But if time goes by fast, that means we'll see each other soon, right?"

"Yep, I guess that's true." Hazel nodded with a look of sadness. Judy approached her and gently placed a comforting paw on her cheek.

"We're going to miss you, Judy. And Mr. Cherry, sir?" He arched his neck to look up at me. "We're going to miss you too." Donovan extended his paw.

"Likewise, Donovan." I returned the paw.

"And nice new look, by the way," he commented while pulling out his iPhone for a selfie and gesturing me to crouch down. As a joke, I did the Vulcan symbol and I highly doubt a bunny with four fingers could replicate that.

"Why, thank you," I replied. He positioned his paw into a high five/four position so I gave him one.

Judy's parents walked into our little group area, paused for a moment, smiled, and gave Judy the same happy look that any proud parent would give.

...

"You know, you don't have to leave Judy." Stu reasoned. "You can always call in sick."

Judy chuckled "Guys, don't forget I'll be back in a couple of weeks."

"We know, and we're just counting the days," Bonnie remarked.

"And, as you know, we always worry about you being in the big city, and so far away," Stu commented. "I mean, you did crack the biggest case in Zootopia, we're so proud of you."

"Absolutely." Stu agreed. "Yes."

"But we're also a little scared, as always. It's the same old proud-scared combo." Stu nervously chuckled. "You know how that is." 

"Guys, don't worry, I'll be alright." Judy comforted. "Plus, Cherry's coming with."

"Terrific! He'll keep those bad predators away."

"Oh, Stu."

...

In the air, I could hear a small piano tune playing in the wind and I had no idea where It came from. Suddenly, out of surprise, a large shuttle-like object came into view and pulled into the station. The horn blared thrice and the male PA voice announced:

_Arriving, Zootopia Express._

This was it. The time had come. The train arrived just a quarter before ten and it was much larger than I had anticipated which meant I wouldn't have to crouch down. Overall, it was a long, monorail-like train with four cars, an observation dome, and a cockpit on both ends. It was entirely orange and yellow and shaped more or less like a cat, due to the pair of ear-like pieces protruding from the 'head' of the train.

"Okay, time for us to go," Judy pulled both her parents into a tight hug. "I love you guys!" she kissed Bonnie's cheek, and then Stu's. Judy made her way towards the double doors of the train and beckoned me to enter. Before I could take another step, a young voice called out.

"Cherry, wait!"

I turned around and it was the same sweet bunny from the farm truck running towards me. "Hazel?"

She stopped in her tracks, smiled, and fidgeted with her paws. "I just wanted to say, thank you for putting up with me, and thank you for being an awesome friend."

"My pleasure," I replied, dropping to one knee. "Thank you for everything." 

"I'm sure going to miss you!" she smiled warmly.

"Me too, Hazel."

"Can I give you a hug?" she blushed.

Noticing we were really short on time, I gave out a small shrug. "If you want."

"I'm going for it!" she said excitedly as she rushed up to my knee and wrapped her arms around my head. She was also quite a hugger, much like Judy, except that she held on a little tighter. My goodness was she like a doll. Time was just about up so she released me and I carefully set her down. I jogged through the large double doors and Judy ran through the toddler door on the right. I've never seen a train of both door sizes before so that was something new.

Instead of taking a seat, Judy stood at the mini doorway opening to wave at her family so I decided to do the same from my doorway. Such a beautiful family on the platform and it brought great joy to see them all standing together.

"Bye, everybody!" Judy waved as the doors closed. Everyone outside could still be heard and the train slowly started to pick up speed as it departed.

"Bye. Bye, Judy!"

"Bye, Judy, I love you! Bye! Bye!" Cotton waved while running along with the platform. 

"Bye, Cherry!"

"Bye, Judy!" 

"Be safe!"

"Bye!"

I gave them all a farewell salute and we were off.

"Bye!" Judy waved one last time.

We later passed a sign that read:

YOU ARE NOW LEAVING BUNNYBURROW

* * * * * * * * 

PRODUCTION

87,435,918

At least, I thought it said 'production' but I barely missed the sign and didn't get a chance to read the bottom portion. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the number of carrots harvested. After all, what else could it be?


	18. All Aboard

The train picked up greater speed and the Hopp's family became a tiny speck as we rode off into the hills.

That was it then. No more Bunnyburrows for a while because it was time to transition into the next chapter of the journey. I was definitely going to miss them because they felt like a family and treated me like a friendly visitor as opposed to an alien stranger. Out of all the places I could've crash-landed, there was no other place I would've chosen than Bunnyburrows. Of course, it wasn't my choice and it was all due to the probability fields of gravity but I sure felt lucky. They saved my life, took me in, and had me under good care which was something that I couldn't thank them enough for.

Now, if someone would've told me a week ago that I'd befriend a bunch of talking bunnies then I would've banished them all the way off to the outer rims of the universe for they had gone insane. Seeing alien life forms was one thing but seeing something that you're familiar with while adding a twist to it makes the entire experience all the more stranger. It's as if everything was backward and/or opposite.

On the other hand, telling this story to another human would've been incredibly awkward if they hadn't experienced it for themselves; additionally, one would also run into the inevitable obstacle of being made fun of because it'd all sound like an excerpt from a children's movie. Honestly, I too would probably make fun of any soldier who went on about tales of being with talking animals because we came from a serious world that dealt with serious issues in a rated-R kind of way. We weren't always like this but that's how we ended up. At this point, there'd be no one else to tell this story to except for the inhabitants of this planet which means there's no more human audience.

A mixed feeling of sadness filled my chest due to the fact that I was the last human of my universe and because the Hopp's family had so many human characteristics that reminded me of my former home. Now, we were leaving all of that behind but I instead chose to remain happy about it because we'd all still be on the same planet. Plus, we had each other's contact information so communication wasn't completely cut off.

Judy and I both gazed out of the train door windows until the Hopp's family finally disappeared from view behind the mountainous hills.

"Good family." I thought out loud.

"Aww, they're the best!" Judy smiled. "I'm so blessed to have them."

"Indeed," I said quietly while looking out into the horizon. It felt like being in the middle of a beautiful forest again but with both speed and style. We passed over a couple of crystal clear lakes and the large multitudes of oak trees gradually transitioned into pines as the train hummed along.

"Well Cherry, we've got about 200 miles until we reach Zootopia so let's find a place to sit." "How fast is the train moving?" I asked.

"I think it's about 95 miles per hour but it varies,"

"So that gives us around two hours until arrival?" 

"Yep! That actually sounds about right."

"Let's find a seat then."

"Follow me!"

I turned around to follow Judy but I kept feeling a tugged feeling around my back waist which prevented me from moving. "What the?" I murmured. After twisting myself around a few times, I quickly took note that my tail was jammed in the flippin' door. "Aw, crud."

"What's wrong?" Judy asked with concern.

"My tail, it's stuck."

Her face immediately lit up with laughter and she attempted to cover her mouth with her paw.

"Lesson number one: Please keep your arms, legs, and tails inside the vehicle at all times." she mimicked the PA voice. "Very funny. Now, can you help me?"

"You got yourself in there, you can get yourself out. But I'll watch and supervise!" she smiled cheekily while folding her arms. "How long until the next stop?"

"An hour."

"Oh, for Pete's sake." I groaned while gripping the doors to force them open. They were airtight shut but I reassembled the

nano-particles on my fingertips into flathead tips and carefully pried the doors open. Finally, my tail was free but the rubber lining on the door was slightly warped but I didn't bother mentioning it.

"There you go!" Judy cheered. "I knew you could do it."

"Goodness gracious," I grumbled as I adjusted the furs on the tail. The blasted doors bent them slightly out of place so I attempted to comb them over.

"Ouch, that looks like it would've hurt!" Judy winced. "I still can't believe humans don't have tails."

"How in the world do you guys manage with these things? I asked while spinning in circles, struggling to grab hold of my tail for final adjustments.

"It comes with practice." She approached the tail, grabbed hold of it, fluffed it up, and bent it back into place. She even combed the furs over to make it appear more natural. "There, now you're all set!"

I nodded in gratitude, recentered my tail, and double-checked to ensure that my cloak wasn't also stuck in the door. Luckily, it wasn't so I was free now. "Great," I declared. "How about we sit down before I fall down?

"Right this way."

She led us through the train corridor and I was surprised at how spacious the interior was. There were some small seats here and there but others that were large enough to accommodate someone of my size or even bigger. It was definitely a transition from Tinyville and it all felt like the size I was used to. Nevertheless, the train felt different in that all sizes were equally accommodated as opposed to having an emphasis on one size. For example, there were tiny seats, small seats, smaller seats, medium seats, medium-large seats, extra-large seats, and triple large seats which came as a surprise to me.

Most of them were empty, likely because it was Sunday, but there were a few places within the train that contained other passengers. Some of them were sheep, a couple of them were otters, and one pair appeared to be a skunk couple who were both occupied on their smartphones. Luckily, the windows were open.

Judy walked into another train cart and I spotted a family of honey badgers that were fast asleep except for the mother. She was knitting a scarf but immediately stopped upon seeing me. I gave her a nod and Judy smiled warmly at her and waved "Good day, ma'am!" which seemed to calm her down a bit but she still gave me a few stares.

We reached the third train cart except this one was much taller than the previous ones. It had a large glass dome that extended the height by a few feet and it made for an ideal place to observe nature outside. I was tall but I wasn't quite tall enough to peek over so I climbed up a few stair steps to get a better position and the wondrous outside scenery, at last, came into view.

There was a miniature observation platform for Judy so she climbed up to match my height so that we could both enjoy the ride together. It was crazy to think of the amount of space between Bunnyburrows and the city because so much of it was covered in nature and uninhabited. Back at home, we had trains but they'd always pass through depressing cities, junkyards, factories, crash sites, airfields, drone bases, laboratories, launch pads, nuclear test sites, or any other manmade structure. None of it was natural back on Earth-77 because there was no green leftover. No parks, no lakes, no prairie fields, none of that.

But here on this planet, the train ride was quite pleasant. It felt peaceful and the only thing I could see out the window was trees upon trees that extended beyond the sky blue horizon. The sun was shining, nature was at full bloom, waterfalls were at max flow, and the lake water appeared to be the freshest I've ever seen in ages. It all felt like a dream but knowing it was all real and not made of holograms brought a slight tear to my eye.

I peaked over at Judy and she pulled out a pink square-shaped device with little white cords attached to it. "What's that?" I asked. "Is it some sort of MP3 amplifier?"

"Ha! No, it's an iPawd."

"Oh... right."

"Don't they have these where you're from?" 

"In a museum."

"What? They can't be THAT ancient! Can they?"

"No, but they ARE antiques where I'm from."

"Wow, that's crazy. So... how did you guys listen to music?"

I said nothing and only tapped my helmet three times, hoping she would get the idea. "Ahh, okay,"

...

Judy set her little device down on the window sill then proceeded to pull out her Carrot iPhone. "Okay, Cherry, let's bring it in for a selfie. C'mon, don't be shy."

"You'd better send it to me," I stated as I tilted myself closer to the camera lens.

"You know I will." as she clicked the button a couple of times with the snow-capped mountains in the background. She looked over to me and gave a silly puzzled look. "Are you smiling? You sure you're smiling?" she joked.

"I can draw it on my face if you want." 

"Okay!"

"No, please don't."

"Ha! All good. As long as you promise that you were smiling." 

"I smile all the time."

"Har har." she sarcastically laughed.

In reality, though, I did smile, despite my helmet masking my expression. This world made me smile more in 48 hours than I ever did in 48 months from my previous world.

...

Judy began to unravel the headphones and activated the home screen on her iPawd. Before she tapped her device any further, she paused for a few seconds, and then eagerly turned to me. "So Cherry, what kind of music do they have in your world?"

So many names came to mind that I didn't know where to start. I was somewhat familiar with the music but I was more into soundtracks than anything. Either way, I had a couple of all-time favorites so I thought now might've been a good time to bridge the music gap between my world and hers. My, this was about to get interesting.

...

"I'll have to tell you all about it," I said as I pulled off the helmet. The HUD wasn't working well anyway so I decided to manually open up the list of tunes that were downloaded into the nano-chip by viewing the helmet interior. Judy, realizing that my mask was off, peaked over the railing to see if there were any bystanders but she signaled me that the coast was clear.

I pulled up the software code the traditional way then I felt homesick upon seeing the large list of beloved songs/artists that I grew up with. The display was crude but I managed to scroll through an entire list of names:

*******

 _{..., blues brothers, bryan adams, david bowie, elvis presley, imagine dragons, john lennon, led zeppelin, mark ronson, michael jackson, n_ orman greenbaum, _paul mccartney, pharrell williams, rupert holmes, stevie wonder, the beatles, the monkees, toni braxton, ...}_

_*******_

I quietly read some of the names to Judy but her face only filled with a confused excitement while I was getting anxious to start listening.

"Wow, I've never heard of these before!" Judy commented. "Why don't you pick one for us?"

"Gladly!" I answered. There were so many to choose from so I simply closed my eyes and randomly selected one of the songs from the list. The first song would be random and the list was shuffled so I knew Judy was in for a big treat. Can one imagine hearing songs from an extraterrestrial world? That's something not every creature gets to experience, let alone a bunny.

I initiated the process and we both relaxed.

... Nothing.

Not a single musical tune would resonate. I checked the helmet interior again and to my horror:

*******

_{..., not.found, not found, not.found,, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, not.found, ...}_

_ERROR: nonessential systems offline._

_*******_

" _No..._ " I grimaced. "This can't be... this can't be happening... Argh!" "What's wrong?" she asked.

"The files... they're corrupted." "Ohhh..." her ears sharply dropped.

Judy could only imagine how I felt but I was completely devastated on the inside. All of Earth's finest songs were all gone. The songs made history and they served as reminders but now they were no more. Nothing. Erased. Deleted. Gone. The only supposed song left now was _'Silence'_ by _Izz Goldin_ but I wasn't feeling up for it. I swear, this was by far the worst part about being in the wrong universe and the wrong dimension.

I tried to control my frustration the best I could by tightly gripping the helmet with all my strength and pressing my bare forehead against the forehead of the mask. Despite my strength, I wasn't able to break it. I was close to smashing the window in front of me but I luckily managed to contain myself.

I sighed. "On second thought Judy, I...I don't think it's going to work."

"I'm so sorry Cherry,"

"Me too."

"Maybe it will work later or maybe you can fix it." she counseled while placing her paw on my back. I gently brushed it off. "No." I shook my head.

"No?"

"I'm afraid not. It's out of order."

"Out of order? But you're from the future."

"Frick, even in the future, nothing works." I angrily facepalmed.

I wasn't wrong. Just because I came from an advanced civilization didn't imply that all the world's problems were taken away. If anything, we made it worse by making things far too complicated. The intentions were good but it was all merely a paved road to Hell. There was so much I could bicker about but music storage was its own issue.

These suits did incredible things but we humans relied on them a little too much. They were designed to be an all-in-one solution to interplanetary exploration but all that made the system overly complicated, and, quite frankly, it had its power limitations. My suit had one main purpose and that was to protect. Everything else was trivial so that means if the suit lost power or nanite particles then the non essential systems would shut down. Since music was low on the totem pole and deemed unnecessary for survival, it was one of the first things to go.

Perhaps Judy was right. Maybe I could find a way to restore the beloved playlists but that clockwork was far beyond me. Not only that but getting off of this planet was another thing to worry about so I had to accept the fact that my songs would be gone for a while. I was sick and tired of being depressed and having my emotional episodes so I made an internal decision to man up and take life how it was and not how I wanted it to be. Although, it was easier said than done.

As the train traveled further on through the pine forest, the entire cabin fell silent for the duration of seventeen minutes. It felt like a cannonball had smashed my stomach so I was still trying to recover from that emotional injury. Judy, on the other hand, was gazing out the observation window, her ears still droopy, and appearing to think of what to say. There wasn't much she really could say because she didn't know the lyrics to any of my favorite songs; thus, she couldn't be of any help. I kept my helmet on, trying to mask my emotions, but the helmet itself already had a default 'angered' look to it.

Thus, I rested my head in the palm of my hand and tried to enjoy the ride as much as I could.

Out of nowhere, both of Judy's bunny ears sprang up high then she nudged me on the right shoulder. I was zoned out for a bit but I finally faded back.

"Hey!" she cheerfully remarked. "I've got an idea!"

I said nothing but I slowly pivoted my head towards her while keeping my head rested to see watch she had to say.

She grabbed her iPawd and started to unravel the headphones again. "I've got good music! Maybe we can list to that."

I'm sure her music was decent but I didn't feel in the mood. I returned my gaze out the window and ignored her offer. At the corner of my eye, she was earnestly plugging in her headphones and setting up her iPawd. I felt a little envy but I did my best to keep my focus away. It was one of those times where old tech outrivaled future technology.

Both her headphones were resting at the bottom of her ears and she was already listening to some tunes. Lucky. It wasn't long until she noticed me without music so she pulled out one of her earbuds and offered it to me.

"Wanna listen to Gazelle?" she offered. "No."

"You gotta listen!"

She continued to insist so she stretched her arm out and dropped the earbud into the palm of my gauntlet. I reluctantly gripped it and placed it adjacent to my helmet earpiece. The nanoparticles formed an opening at the side of the helmet, sealed themselves around the headphone, and held it in place.

And just like that, I was listening to my first extraterrestrial song. However, it didn't feel or sound extraterrestrial at all. Rather, it was absolutely, and, quite frankly...


	19. Silence is Golden

...Rejuvenating. Not going to lie.

My crummy mood felt immediately lifted away upon hearing the first couple of musical cues from this strange song. I didn't like it nor did I want to like it but my head made those small involuntary dance movements without stopping. For some odd reason, it felt not only catchy but also uplifting to the soul. Part of me wished to remove the headphone but I wouldn't do it. Why wouldn't I? Something about this song kept me attached.

Judy had an adorable little bunny dance going on and I couldn't help but smile at her groovy style because that bushy tail of hers was downright hilarious and adorable. She was too busy enjoying herself but she quickly caught a glimpse of me at the corner of her eye. In that moment, I froze in place.

"You like this song! Don't you Cherry?"

"No, no," I defended. "I don't."

"I saw you dancing over there. I know you like it!"

"No, that wasn't dancing. Those were... head exercises." 

"Mm-hmm, sure." she grinned

She whipped out her phone and showed me a video from SnapPaw. Turns out, she caught me dancing and I had no idea how on Earth she did that without me looking. The video showed me shaking not only my head but also my fists and my hips. _Okay... there's no way I just did that._ From that angle, it was clearly an exaggeration.

"Delete that footage."

"Admit it, you were dancing!"

"No, that's not--."

"Just admit it or I'll post it!"

I sighed. "Fine, I danced... a little."

"Louder please. My ears were slightly folded." 

"Whatever, I danced. Happy?"

"Yep! That's all I needed to hear." she smiled slyly while pulling out her carrot pen. I gave out an obvious facepalm because I knew what she did there. Such a sneaky little bunny, I must say.

"Here!" she insisted, placing the iPawd into my gauntlet hand. "I've got more songs. Check them out!" she pulled out her earbud and handed it to me as well.

"What about you?"

"I'll be back! Gotta use the restroom."

"Alright," I said, connecting the other earbud to my helmet.

"Try some of those other songs," as she stepped down the stairway. "You'll love them!"

I gave her a slight nod then she disappeared into the other train cart. For me, it was too bad that her iPawd was pink colored but at least it had a mini size so that it wouldn't stand out in public. She somehow trusted me with it until she got back so I had to be sure to not crush it, especially when pressing the home screen. It took a couple of gentle tries but I finally managed to pull up a bizarre list of songs/albums. Using my large index finger, I carefully scrolled through the list and saw some of the following:

* * * * * * * 

_The Beagles_

_Black Sable_

_Destiny's Cub_

_Ewe 2_

_Fleetwood Yak_

_Fur Fighters_

_Gazelle_

_Guns N' Rodents_

_Hyena Gomez_

_Kanine West_

_Mick Jaguar_

* * * * * * *

But the catalog kept going and going. Such a peculiar list, I thought. Never in my life had I heard of these songs before but that's what happens when you visit a foreign planet and a foreign dimension, I suppose. Some may have sounded a bit familiar but it all

must've been more coincidental if anything There was one name that came up that jogged my memory because it appeared as Gazzle, or, rather, Gazelle, as it was supposedly spelled. Judy and the Howl family wouldn't stop talking about it back in the forest so I decided to give it a try, to see what all the fuss was about.

It took me seven attempts until the silly micro iPawd screen detected my finger's touch so I clicked on the Gazzle artist then an extensive list of songs appeared. I didn't bother to scroll through all them so I peaked at the first five and saw the following:

* * * * * * *

_Ara-bunny Nights_

_Can You Feel the Fur Tonight_

_Part of Your Wool_

_Let It Goat_

Try Everything

* * * * * * *

Whatever. I suppose I'd start from the top of the list. I listened to the first one, then the next one, and then the one following that. Many of these songs were fairly decent sounding but most felt as if altered by "Weird Al" Yankovic himself. However, since we were on an animal dominated world, such an artist was probably known as "Weird Al" Yak-ovich. However, I checked the artist again but they were still written by Gazzle herself so I was completely wrong. None of these were parodies because they were all legit songs written by a legit animal artist. Whatever.

I had to admit though, this female animal had quite the voice. Yes, her songs were odd and quite foreign to me but I had to give her kudos for the talent. While listening further, I surveyed the woods outside the train window to admire the surrounding beauty. Time itself seemed to stagnate and everything felt like it was going in slow motion until I realized that the train was preparing for a stop.

I peaked around to notice that we hadn't arrived in the city yet so this must've been one of the monorail stops. The platform was fairly simple and humble in appearance, consisting of only log benches, but there were over seventeen animals waiting to board the train. Great. The last thing we needed was more passengers.

We came to a complete stop, the mammals crowded the door, and they all swarmed inside like it was Black Friday. However, today was Sunday. Most of them were only beavers and ferrets carrying loads of luggage, most likely from their weekend vacation.

Within the group, there was one female kangaroo, escorting its child by the paw, and then there were three triplet-looking porcupines.

All of them walked on two legs and all wore civilian clothing from the 21st-century era which continued to boggle my mind. I was already used to rabbits walking and talking like a human but it took me a bit to get used to other animals doing the same exact thing. They walked, they talked, the chatted, they greeted, they texted, and they interacted unlike those from my universe. Up until this point, I haven't had too much exposure with other animals on this planet, except for the wolves, but my mind was still trying to process it all.

Goodness, this was all getting so... weird. I was slowly adjusting and still trying to convince myself that I wasn't dreaming. As a distraction, I directed my eyes outside the train window to observe the splendid mountain ranges outside. This stop must've been another ideal hiking destination so I kept it in mind for the future in case I ever had the chance to explore the area. As a teenager, I've always loved exploring new places but Earth-77 was almost always covered in ruins from rusty space cruisers that were decomissioned following the war. However, this planet was free from all that and who knows what else it could potentially offer. All this land, all this unknown, and all the possibilities. Time would tell.

Thankfully, the train was finally moving again and we soon came back to full speed as we made our way towards the city. The new animal passengers stayed in the back cart so I was safe from the onlookers for now. With the earbuds still in place, I decided to try out a couple more songs so I played the next one:

_The bleating grows loud on the mountain tonight_

_Not a baa to be heard_

_A kingdom of isolation, And it looks like I'm a goat._

_The goats are baa'ing like this swirling storm inside_

_Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!_

_Don't let them bleat, don't let them goat Be the good goat you always have to be Baa, don't bleat, don't let them bleat_

_W_ _ell, now they baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!_

_Let it goat, let it goat Can't hold it back anymore Let it goat, let it goat_

_T_ _urn away and..._

I immediately placed it on pause. 

Good heavens, that song was a little too much for me. Not only did I feel the urge to pause it but I also felt something else. Someone or something was tugging at the back of my cloak. It couldn't have been the automatic doors so it had to be Judy. Not only did she pull once but she pulled thrice and kept pulling. In annoyance, I popped out the headphones to see what was up.

"Alright Judy," I spoke while turning myself around. "Whatever you're doing, you'd bette-- "

I stopped mid-sentence upon noticing it wasn't Judy. No, it wasn't a bunny either. It was an elderly-looking goat who had thin, gray fur; a blue shirt and shorts; a conductor hat; an orange vest; a sleepy expression and a goatee. He carried what looked like an old fashioned ticket machine and was surrounded by flies. Such a strange coincidence.

He kept a firm grip on my brown cloak and didn't pay attention even when I stared directly at him. Was he blind? I waved my arms in front of him but nothing happened.

"Hey!" I called out but he wouldn't move. His focus was clearly on something else so I clapped my hands a few times but still nothing. Was he deaf?

After letting out a few yawns, he finally looked up at me but he only squinted the entire time. Perhaps he wasn't blind but he must've had extremely blurred vision. Thank goodness for that.

"Oh...oh dear... you... you're not a grab handle, are you?" he asked in a shaky voice, trying to make sure that I was a living creature.

"No. I am not." I firmly stated as I yanked the cloak away from his grasp. 

"Oh...well...uh...hmm...in that case...tickets please."

"What?"

"...Tickets...please."

"It's on the app." I clarified. "

"...Hmm? ...Wha?"

"The APP," I said louder. "Short for 'application,' which is the same thing as a software program." 

"Huh? Soft...apple? ...wear...what?"

"Forget it," I reached into a small suit compartment and pulled out a slip of paper that Donovan gave me two days ago. The one containing the wifi password. "Here it is." I lied, handing it over to the old goat.

He carefully took it with both his three fingered claws and slowly looked it over as if it were counterfeit. He examined it, sniffed it, took a bite out of it, and nodded his head. "You a good...a good mammal, sir." he nodded again, taking another bite. "I forgot... my...uh...reading glasses...but...this...this looks clean to me."

"Of coure it is." I finished as I turned back to face the window. Once again, after a few brief seconds, another tug was felt on my cloak. Annoyed, I turned around again to see the old goat gripping the cloak and sniffing it over.

"Hey! Let it go." I commanded.

"Is...this, uh... edible?" he attempted to take a bite but I immediately pulled it back. "No! Cut it out."

"Oh...but...but why...why do you wear...your mother's drapes?"

Completely fed up with that old goat, I moved across the room to another window position, to get away from him. He frantically, albeit slowly, scanned the entire train cart for me but had no luck in spotting me with his poor vision.

"Where...where did you go?" he asked himself, even though I was only a couple feet away from him. "Oh...oh well...I'd better, uh, check for other tickets. Carry on...sir." then he left the train cart and disappeared into the other one, most likely to bother other passengers.

"Jeez, it's like the old man from Gremlins." I thought out loud. He was definitely a strange animal so I'm glad that he finally left me in peace.

After a minute or two, I was alone at last. The train went through a series of granite rock canyons until a marvelous lake came into view on my side.

"Beautiful day!" someone commented. I tilted my head down and there was a beaver standing to the left of me. What the? He somehow came into the train cart without me knowing and was also staring out through one of the miniature windows below me. He had a large photographer camera, almost as big as his stomach, and was taking multiple angled shots. Upon his face he wore an oversized pair of square glasses in which he kept fiddling with every time he clicked a picture. Perhaps he was Beaver Barker from the Daily Beagle but I didn't bother asking.

"Beautiful day, eh?" he repeated. I didn't know what to say to a talking beaver so I kept my face down. He wouldn't leave me alone so he proceeded to invade my personal space to take more pictures. "Enjoying the scenery, are we?" he asked while continuously clicking pictures.

"Quite." I nodded in annoyance, standing firmly in place, which only caused him to maneuver around me. "How you doing sir?" he continued as he peeked through his camera lens.

"Fine," I responded, scooting over to the side to give him some undeserved room. He unknowingly kept hitting me with his tail which caused me to gradually lose my patience. I swear, if he touched me one more time with that tail then I'd turn him into a big fluffy hat.

"That's good, that's good," he spoke. "Don't mind me, I'm just taking some pictures." "I can see that." I rolled my eyes. "And twenty isn't enough?"

"Not really," he responded. "Only twenty-seven, to be exact. Besides, I've got a dam report to file." "What?"

"A dam report. After all, I myself happen to be one of the dam engineers who built that dam over there." he pointed across the lake. "You see it?"

I half-expected it to be made of wood but I was wrong. Across the lake, the beaver pointed at a wide cement structure spanning the entire edge length of the waterline. Turns out, these mammals still lived in an era of hydropower which wasn't nearly as efficient as nuclear power or cold fusion but at least they had a somewhat reliable power source. "Yes, I see it."

"Excellent! I helped in that endeavor. Fun fact, it has a height of 700 ft, length of 1,000 ft, base width of 500 ft, and volume of

3,000,000 cubic yards. Neat, eh?" "That's a lot of dam water."

"You can say that again!" as he snapped another picture. His phone made an audible vibrating noise so he bagged his camera away and checked his notifications. "Welp, my boss is calling me again so it's time to go." He rapidly tapped his paws on the screen to send a message then slowly turned his attention to where I was at. "It was nice to briefly chat with you Mr...uh... whoa... what...what the heck are you?"

I felt a small nervous sweat come off my brow so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Arctic albino white...um...snow wolf," I uttered, realizing it was a bit of a superfluous description.

The beaver carefully adjusted his glasses to get a better view of me but he only shrugged once before speaking. "Mmm-kay... very interesting. Sorry, I was just curious." He examined me for a brief moment until his phone vibrated again, forcing him to check it. "Ohhh, my boss keeps gnawing like a dam turbine. Now, if you'll excuse me--"

"Go ahead," I insisted, gesturing to the other train cart behind me.

He answered his phone, "Yes, sir?" as he stepped away into the neighboring cart and trailing off. Of course, he accidentally slapped me one more time with that annoying scaly racket tail of his but he was already long gone before I could attempt to pelt him.

Finally, alone again; just as I wanted. A human like me could only handle a small dose of talking animals for the day so it was an ideal time to take a break. Sometimes, we think it wouldn't be such a big deal, especially if we've seen plenty of movies about it, but, believe me, it all felt so much different than those films ever depicted. It's hard to explain but all I can say is that it really messes with your brain.

As we pressed on with the lake far behind us, the train passed through the seven distinct levels of a sugar cane forest farm, through the mist of twinkling waterfall droplets, and then we went through a dark Lincoln-like tunnel. As the natural sunlight disappeared, the automated lights activated and illuminated the immediate cabin area in a fanciful way. Thirty-three seconds later, there was more light at the end of the tunnelway then we quickly emerged from the darkness.

My eyes adjusted to the bright sun rays as they went from dark, to dark green, to light green, and then to sky blue. On both sides of the monorail, we were surrounded by elegrant granite rock walls of a canyon that had small patches of green pine trees, green grass, and green bushes along the edges that made for a pleasant naturalist backdrop.

My, what a splendid train ride this was! None of it was simulated, none of it was made of holograms, and none of it was fake. Everything that I beheld outside the window with my very own eyes was all real. Incredible, just absolutely incredible, which was an understatement. No plastic trash, no military ship debris, no industrial smoke, no capital cruiser in the sky, and no ugly graffiti at all. This is how our world should've been.

I made myself comfortable while leaning upon the window railing and took the extra time to relax. All was well.

"Tickets, please," the same voice called out.

"Oh, for crying out loud." I groaned, not wanting to speak another word to that lousy goat. I refused to turn around and paid no particular heed. As a caution, I pulled away my cloak.

Following the brief silent treatment I gave him, the goat began to rapidly and audibly tap his foot on the floor to grab my attention. What's the matter with him? Didn't I already give him my ticket? Did he realize it was fake? Why couldn't he just leave me alone? All I could do was shake my head back and forth in utter frustration.

Strangely though, for an animal that had hooves, the tapping sound wasn't hard; rather, it sounded softer. In one quick motion, I

pivoted myself to face the goat but it was actually a miniature version of Jill Valentine from Resident Evil. No, not really... but that was my first impression.

It was actually Judy, the most familiar happy, friendly face on this planet. The same bunny who accompanied me the entire way on this trip. This time, however, she was different. She wore a blue police uniform, a black vest, some light gray knee pads, and a black utility belt. Upon her limbs, she had dark-blue leather wrappings that left her digits and extremities exposed. Finally, she had on her chest a golden badge that read 'Zootopia' with 'Police Officer' finely engraved along with the three words 'Trust', 'Integrity', and 'Bravery' posted in a circled formation around a gold star.

"Oh, uh... Officer Hopps," I saluted, out of instinct.

"Please, Judy is fine," she smiled, leaning on one hip and placing both paws on each side.

I couldn't help but inspect her new outfit and her new look while giving a few nods of approval. So this is what a typical Zootopian police officer uniform must've looked like. It didn't seem to have any weapons but it had a fair amount of gear to carry out the job and It made me feel honored to be in the presence of someone with a duty to serve and protect.

Uniforms, in general, were always fascinating to me, especially in my world where the air was so unstable that we needed a way to protect our fragile bodies. For some humans, they became more intimidating and powerful, whereas, for others, they became more trusting in the task at hand. For myself, I felt more inscribed with a true purpose and Judy appeared to shine as a beacon of hope. Yes, she's a bunny; but her sweet personality combined with both her courage and optimism made her a mammal that anyone could, metaphorically, look up to.

"Nice uniform." I complimented

"Thank you Cherry!" she responded proudly. "And you don't look too bad yourself."

I looked at both my uniform's gauntlets and felt touched by her comment so I nodded in appreciation. "And sorry about earlier." I recalled. "I thought you were that quirky goat guy."

"That's okay," she giggled. "And actually, it's a she by the way." "Wait, really?" I asked in surprise.

"Yep! Officer Mabel is her name. She's very sweet and she's technically a retired meter maid but likes to relive the old days." "So she spends all her free time waltzing around a public train?"

"Yeeaah, that's about right."

"Whatever floats her boat," I shrugged. "But hold on, how did you pull off such a similar voice behind my back?" "Carrot pen," Judy happily presented it before me.

"Good," I figured, folding my arms in confidence. "If you have that recording, then you lost my recording."

"Actually," she grinned as she pressed the button. This time, I could hear a couple of my voice recordings so they weren't lost after all. For a moment there, I thought any new recording would override an old one.

"Dagnabbit."

"Looks like I have the upper paw."

"We'll see."

She didn't say anything more so she joined me next to the window and we both enjoyed the rest of the train ride through the granite mountain range. She pulled out her Carrot iPhone and began texting a couple of animals in her contacts list. This time, out of respect and privacy, I didn't peak over so I kept my vision forward. Chances were, she was texting some family members or perhaps even some friends from work.

"So, why are you wearing the uniform now?" I asked.

"My shift is today so it technically starts as soon as we step off this train." "Where we going after this?"

"I've got some police errands to run so we'll drop the stuff off at my place and then head over to the department."

I gave her a solemn nod, paused for a moment, and then used the railing to stretch my nervous arms. "Sounds like a plan," I exhaled slowly.

"Don't worry, we'll get you settled."

On my HUD interface, I noticed a couple of unread messages so I took the time to go over those while Judy did her phone business. Unsurprisingly, most of the messages were from members of the Hopps' family such as Donovan and Hazel. Both sent me the same photo message containing my makeshift tail which, to be honest, didn't look too shabby from that backside angle. After further decryption, I received another picture from Donovan who sent me the selfie we took earlier on the platform. Yep, my vulcan peace symbol was definitely visible which gave me cause to smile.

Finally, Hazel sent me one more message that contained a couple of emojis for a bunny, a carrot, a tree, a heart, a blue truck, a paw, and then a white polar bear. Supposedly, since this world didn't have human emojis, I guess the bear emoji would have to do. At the end of the message, she placed the words 'Miss you!' followed by another picture of her and her siblings waving goodbye. Before coming to this world, I was never a big animal lover for bunnies but this Hazel sure had a way of getting to my heart.

"Alright Cherry, we're almost there!" Judy announced.

I looked out the window and noticed that the canyon walls were gradually shrinking in height. "Oh boy," I exhaled, starting to feel the butterflies gather inside of me.

"Are you nervous?" Judy asked with concern.

"No, well, yes, a bit."

"Don't be! Everything will be alright, I promise." 

"You think so?

"Absolutely. Just stay close to me and you'll be fine. I'll be your escort and you'll be mine." "Okay,"

"And trust me, Zootopia's a pretty big city so we wouldn't want you to get lost." "You're one of the very few that I would trust."

"Trust, Integrity, and Bravery, it's what the ZPD and I stand for."

"Right," I nodded solemnly, not knowing what else to say. I've been to large cities in the past and overcame my nerves but this city was really starting to manifest different stress patterns throughout my body. Worse, I haven't even seen this city in person yet. After all, it's only a city filled with talking animals, how bad could it be?

The wide range of emotions I experienced was complicated in nature and unexplainable but it didn't seem necessary to feel this way. Why couldn't I fight off the nerves? It felt as if today were my first day of school or first time traveling into outer space. I remembered those moments in my life and ended up being fascinated; but, for some reason, I sensed that I wouldn't be able to pull through. Why? I asked myself multiple times.

I've come from the future, I've experienced many historical events, including multiple major disasters, I served in the war, and I even walked among the most feared cybernetic humans known in the galaxy. Why then, was I feeling so worried at this time? Simply put, there was no clear-cut answer and the only possible explanation was that anything could happen from here on out.

Even with my aggressive-looking mask, Judy was getting good at reading my internal emotions because she gently placed her paw on top of my gauntlet and gave a comforting gaze.

"You still have my iPawd, right?"

I knew I had placed it somewhere so I checked my suit's compartments but couldn't find anything. Oh gawd, where did I put it? It wasn't stuck in the folds of my cloak, nothing on the floor, and it wasn't in my hand. At first, I was calm, but then I searched frantically until I remembered.

It was in my other hand, just like those days when we lose our car keys. Goodness, what's wrong with me? My emotions were already getting the best of me. I pulled myself together, opened my hand, and Judy took her music device. She was unraveling the twisted headphones, preparing to listen to her music, but decided to hand me one of her earbuds again.

"Here," she insisted. "Take this. I know a way to cheer you up."

"I'm fine, really." I resisted, scooting her paw to the side. "I had your music device for a while." 

"No, no, that's okay. There's a song I want to share with you."

"But don't you want both headphones? You've already shared with me." 

"Don't worry about me! I've got good hearing so one is good enough."

"Alrighty, if you insist." I took the headphone from her paw and connected it to my helmet's side.

"You're going to love this song!" she said excitedly. "It has a great message."

She activated the screen on her iPawd and it displayed the same list of songs I had pulled up before. However, this time around, she selected a song that I didn't get a chance to listen to. It was at the very bottom of the list, right after 'Let it Goat', so she selected the song 'Try Everything'.

_Oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh_

_Oh oh oh oh oh_

_I messed up tonight_

_I lost another fight_

_Lost to myself, but I'll just start again_

_I keep falling down_

_I keep on hitting the ground_

_But I always get up now to see what's next_

_Birds don't just fly_

_They fall down and get up_

_Nobody learns without getting it wrong_

_I won't give up, no, I won't give in_

_'Til I reach the end And then I'll start again No, I won't leave_

_I wanna try everything_

_I wanna try even though I could fail_

_I won't give up, no, I won't give in_

_'Til I reach the end_

_And then I'll start again_

_No, I won't leave_

_I wanna try everything_

_I wanna to try even though I could fail_

_Oh oh oh oh oh Try everything Oh oh oh oh oh Try everything Oh oh oh oh oh Try everything Oh oh oh oh oh_

_Look how far you've come_

_Y_ _ou've filled your heart with love_

_Baby, you've done enough, take a deep breath_

_Don't beat yourself up_

_Don't need to run so fast_

_Sometimes we come last, but we did our best_

_I won't give up, no, I won't give in_

_'Til I reach the end_

_And then I'll start again_

_No, I won't leave_

_I wanna try everything_

_I wanna try even though I could fail_

_I won't give up, no, I won't give in_

_'Til I reach the end And then I'll start again No, I won't leave_

_I wanna try everything_

_I wanna to try even though I could fail_

_I'll keep on making those new mistakes I'll keep on making them every day Those new mistakes_

_Oh oh oh oh oh Try everything Oh oh oh oh oh Try everything Oh oh oh oh oh Try everything_

_Oh oh oh oh oh_

_T_ _ry everything_

Wow. This song was something else. It had an incredibly strange effect that few songs had ever done to me. Again, I wouldn't admit that I liked it but I had to admit it was something I needed to hear. My spirits were beginning to feel lifted and light was shining on my soul again. Not only figuratively but also quite literally because, on the left side of the train, there was a bright gleam of light that shone through the tops of the granite rocky canyon walls. I thought it was the actual sun due to the blinding brightness but it had to be something else because the real sun was shining from the other side of the train.

The light disappeared, reappeared, disappeared, and then reappeared again in bright glory. The canyon walls became shorter and shorter until there was nothing directly ahead of us except a vast expanse of open waters and a gleaming city stretched across the horizon.

Holy Schnikes!

This was it. After all this time, it was right there. The City of Zootopia.


	20. Aipotooz Ot Emoclew

That bright light was actually the sun's reflection upon the tallest structure in the distance. With the golden-orange appearance, it's grandiose architecture, and elegant height, I felt like I was looking upon the city of Asgard.

Obviously, this wasn't Asgard and it definitely wasn't Kansas either. This was the famous city that everyone had been talking about this whole time. As the monorail train headed straight towards the city, Judy and I continued listening to the song 'Try Everything' because it was quite fitting for someone like me who was trying to process everything.

Judy briefly told me this place was where her planet's ancestors first joined together in peace and harmony and declared that

'anyone can be anything!' so there was plenty of history to read upon. Perhaps later, because there was so much my mind was already occupied with.

Thus, the train was physically moving much faster than I could mentally capture the entire scenery ahead of me. Among the buildings, there were natural shapes and animal patterns throughout the architecture, like giraffe spots, zebra stripes, and

quill-looking tiled roofs to name a few. Looking closely, I saw lots of animal faces and teeth, including multiple horns and tail shapes.

After passing through a couple of island patches below the monorail, we were about to comb through the desert as the tracks curved off to the right. But first, there was a beach with a handful of animal occupants, then, there was a large metallic red-letter sign with golden trim that read:

ZOOTOPIA WELCOMES YOU!

My, how generous of them. After all, most cities in my universe were not full of warm welcomes during the wars, outbreaks, or even brief times of intergalactic peace. In fact, they were often full of deadly greetings because hostile artillery would be primed to shoot down any unfortunate passerby who disobeyed federation airspace boundaries by the slightest inch. This city, however, had no weapon defense system of any sort so we could check that off the worry list.

As the song progressed, I could feel the beat as well as the heat because we were now in the middle of a vast desert, just outside the city. We cut through the massive sand dunes and I noticed a large cylindrical structure to the left of us that stood tall and proud. At first, I thought it was a thin pineapple but it was actually a building-shaped palm tree, or rather, a palm-tree-shaped building. That thing had to be at least 900 feet in height, which was similar to the home trees found on Pandora.

We proceeded through a group of sandstone sculpted buildings with a Tatooine-like appearance until we came to a large, shaded oasis that had the entire skyline of Zootopia and the palm tree building reflecting in the water. Based on the fancy layout around the base of the lucrative building, there were definitely some Las Vegas and gambling shenanigans going on; therefore, was a great way to make a living out of false hope unless one doesn't mind losing more than winning.

Nevertheless, on a positive note, the overall structure was admirably stunning and remarkably splendid. It wasn't like the X-seed

4000 or anything but It was truly impressive in detail compared to most utilitarian structures found on Earth-77. Judy told me that the Palm Hotel, or Oasis Hotel as a secondary name, was world-famous among many movies and celebrities of this world. Additionally, she mentioned that some of the largest Zootopian crime scenes have occurred there, which, surprisingly, ended up boosting its overall public popularity, revenue, and business. On the wall next to me, there was a pamphlet containing an advertisement for this building that read:

_If Saharan luxury is what you're seeking, look no further then the Palm Hotel and Casino. This five-star hotel is centrally located and has rooms that boast amenities such as private pools, hibernation huts, and 360-degree views of the city._

Interesting. I think I would just stick with the mountains for now. Plenty of trees, less noise, no cling-clangs, no overpriced water, and fewer crowds. True, I'm sure the residents here would love to afford meeting a celebrity or two but the perk of being an alien from another universe is that no one is a celebrity. The only thing the place could offer me was a comfy bed, some organic ice cream, and maybe a massage as long as my back wasn't scarred at the end of it.

Further along the tracks, we were beginning to angle upward towards a marvelous rock formation unlike any I had ever seen in the state of Utah. It was a massive archway carved out of solid sandstone that encircled the entire railway track. Even though the trackway was quite elevated, the arch still towered over us in a way that rivaled Delicate Arch from Earth-77. Words couldn't describe how incredible it was and the only disappointing thing was that we were moving too fast to fully enjoy its beauty. One day, I promised myself to return to this site when I had more time. For now, there was far too much at hand.

Adjacent to the arch were various skyscrapers with an interwoven design and a couple of logs protruding from the sides. Never had I imagined a civilization using logs in a skyscraper's design but it served as a good callback to ancient sandstone homes that were built with similar materials. All of them stood tall along the trackway and each one had its own unique design that made it stand out.

The area gradually transitioned into smaller buildings until most of them were miniature sandstone hills that appeared to be homes for the desert inhabitants. Directly ahead of us, I felt thrown off to behold a large wall that stretched miles into both directions. I knew the liberals wouldn't be too happy with it but at least it had a large train tunnel leading directly inside, which was something the Republicans wouldn't be too fond of. Either way, no one's ever satisfied on a political scale. Then again, what does this have to do with politics? Moving on...

In addition, the outside structure resembled both a temple and a theme park ride but I had no idea what it actually was.

We moved closer and I began to notice bright red lights illuminating along the entire length of the wall. As we made an approach to the tunnel entrance, it became noticeably hotter as thick heatwaves were shooting out from all the red light vents. It then became abundantly clear that this was a gigantic climate wall because we entered the tunnel and spotted specks of snow on the other side.

I couldn't believe it. We were now in an arctic winter wonderland which was like a sudden change from global warming to global cooling. Why couldn't my civilization develop such a system? Our toxic air probably didn't help out much but we could've at least controlled the temperature as this civilization was already doing. Either way, my world was no more so it didn't matter.

It felt like an early Christmas, minus the mile-long strands of lights, and it matched my armor's color as well. Cold temperatures were usually my favorite back at home because our planet became unbearably hot years before its final destruction. As my childhood character put it, this place was a vast, swirling wonderland of sparkling white pleasure, filled with senses of cascading, fluffy pillows of excitement and comfort.

I jumped a little as large puffs of snow exploded on all sides of the train as if they were all Old-Faithful geysers erupting in unison. They must've been the means to provide snow and they were powerful enough that the windows were blanketed with white vapor. My armored gauntlets were unable to wipe away the foggy mist that formed on the windows so Judy was kind enough to wipe it away with her furry paws.

Outside the train, the snow was dotted with many animal figures who were casually strolling about in the snow and living their day-to-day lives without any ire nor conflict. Around them were a couple of onion-domed buildings that made up the area's polar architecture and another notable feature of the icy district were these ice cap pieces floating down the river as a special kind of transport. Yes, the animals did ride atop the pieces, including the polar bears who somehow didn't sink. Pretty nifty, I must say, and also, pretty nippy if you were to fall into that Titantic-Temperature water.

Physically, my world was a hellish hot inferno. Figuratively, it was a cold dark world. However, this part of Zootopia was physically cold but it figuratively felt warm and welcoming in appearance. After all, they had stylish icicle hotels, snowballs, ice rinks, diverse Fishtown markets, and fresh-looking halibuts up for sale.

As expected, the train quickly breezed straight through the district so there wasn't much time to chill out and enjoy the surroundings. We passed by a thick, transparent billboard made of solid ice that read:

NOW LEAVING TUNDRATOWN

Directly in front of us, there was a jagged wall of ice coming straight at us. It was much taller than the previous heat wall, more uneven on the surface, and much cooler in feeling as we passed through the base of it. It felt like we were going to crash into a massive glacier but there was a dark tunnel that leads straight through the icy interior. Immediately, after feeling a freezing gust of dry air, we were quickly met with a fresh burst of a moist aura.

Before my eyes, we were surrounded by the densest greenery I had ever experienced in my lifetime. Holy moly, it felt too good to be true.

This place... was it Pandora? Not quite. Jumanji? Never. Skull Island? Nope. Endor? Too forced. Jurassic Park? Clever, but no. Whatever it was, I liked it! The Lorax and the Na'vi would've relished this location immensely had they existed but any typical human would've also dropped his or her jaw upon the sight of such lush scenery.

Oh, what mankind would give to get their wicked hands-on such precious amount of resources! Imagine all the grandiose projects that could be accomplished with an ax, a chain, a chainsaw, a couple of sticks of dynamite, and some elbow grease. Thank goodness this world was out of humanity's reach; otherwise, this place would've been stripped down to its last piece of bark. All the destructive activities we carried out, all the natural revolutionary medicine we lost, all the innocent indigenous tribes that were scarred, and all the invaluable biodiversity that was forever doomed to the ashes.

This place was like a fragile vase that mankind wasn't to be trusted with. Since I was one of them, I myself felt unqualified to set foot here for I it was in my blood to take things for granted without asking permission. My little animal friend here privileged me with such a marvelous opportunity to witness a special forest setting that many in my would've died to experience. Why? Because trees couldn't thrive anymore in my world. Those that did were often found in biodomes and the structural height could only be so tall. Thus, they were a real treat to anyone who had the money or the influence to approach one.

However, as beautiful as it all was, my heart ached greatly. Never in my life did I cut down a single living tree but the weight of humanity's actions against nature fell upon my shoulders like a ton of bricks. After all, if all of humanity was gone except for me, then who else would the inhabitants here going to blame if they ever found out? Some secrets can't just die away.

My thoughts were then distracted by the sounds of thousands of water droplets rapidly plopping down on the spherical glass window above us that made for some relaxing ambient effects. All the animal citizens outside down below were well equipped and well prepared with their own fancy colorful umbrellas Judy definitely enjoyed the scenery as much as I did as we passed over and under some wooden bridgeways that connected from tree to tree, trunk to trunk, and branch to branch. All of them had a series of

adult-sized treehouses that were as large as modern homes resting on stable platforms with a flat carpet of greenery covering the entire base.

The district had so much verticality to it that I couldn't see the bottom of the forest and my neck had to be fully arched to catch a glimpse of the rainforest canopy. It all kept going and going as if there were no end in sight and it seemed like an ideal place to explore and get in tune with nature while also staying within the boundaries of modern society.

Shortly thereafter, we were headed towards one of the oversized tree trunks that split into multiple tentacle-like roots that allowed the train to easily slip through without giving a crushing impression. Beyond the other side, we came upon swampy terrain that contained a green boggy lake with houseboats along the shoreline and, unexpectedly, a red blimp in the air directly above our heads. One of the overarching bridges was directly positioned in front of the aircraft but it opened up like a pair of flippers on a pinball machine that allowed free passage while the other cars waited in line for their turn to cross.

Further along the monorail track, there was a thick white mist that was beginning to gather all around us. The forest was still there but the trees went from large size to medium size and the mountains were reforming around us. However, unlike the previous rocky ranges we encountered, there was a wider variety of natural trees growing along the steep slopes of the misty mountains. For example, there were palm trees, oak trees, juniper trees, redwood trees, and willow trees, to name a few, all mingled together and growing in intrinsic harmony.

In due course, the mist was unveiled, the canyon fleetingly closed in on us until a group of leafy tree canopies opened up like a welcoming doorway to reveal the spectacular view of the grand city of Zootopia.

_Oh oh oh oh oh_

_Try everything_

_Oh oh oh oh oh_

That lively song kept ringing through the interworkings of my helmet and it kept my spirits sky-high for the remainder of the ride. Never had I felt so nervous and excited in the same mortal body that I didn't know what to do. I felt like a nuclear reactor about to

go off and that song was the only thing distracting me from experiencing mental overload. Admittedly, Judy's friendly smile also helped...a little.

Before I knew it, the dazzling city was right there in front of us and it was getting bigger and bigger with each passing beat of the heart. Everything was getting busier, street activity was picking up, more animal civilians were appearing, city noise levels grew, and more brain neurons were being fired. We passed below a hustling freeway, I saw a sign that read 'Downtown', the sun was as bright as ever, the adjacent skyscraper was a gilded animal horn, the diversified apartment buildings were too many to number, and my stomach was filling with a bucketload of butterflies.

I didn't know why but I simply did not feel ready for any of this. It was too much. I shouldn't be here.

For a super-soldier who's been to battle, fought drones, climbed cliffs, wrestled with IEDs, and many other valiant things, I felt like all those experiences weren't much help in preparing me for what's next.

Maybe I could turn back? Too late now. We were already committed and we were fast approaching the last station. The end of the line.

Four train horn rings, four sculpted iron antlers on the roof, four influxing rivers, four monorail tracks leading into the station, and four minutes past the afternoon, we had arrived at our foresighted destination. The station's appearance was patterned much like the

'Anhalter Bahnhof' from Berlin on Earth-77 except that this one was a bit more animalized.

The place was situated upon a cape that contained lines of palm trees on both sides of the tracks plus a winsome line of neatly planted purple flowers in the central garden. The tracks went no further, we had reached the ultimate stop, and the entire interior of the train hummed with a soft melodious tune before the automatic double doors slid wide open. Boy, this was about to get very interesting.

"Here we are!" Judy proudly announced. "Oh boy..."

We disconnected the iPawd, the song continued to play in the back of my head, and we waited our turn to exit. Judy had all the excitement going for her as if she had been away from her second home for quite a while whereas I felt completely overwhelmed with fear of the unknown. All the beavers and ferret passengers crowded their way through the miniature train doors, leaving the larger doorway to myself, and just like that, Judy and I both disembarked the train.

As I set foot upon the ground, the floor tiling resembled dried mud patches but it was all as smooth as sturdy pavement. Multitudes of passengers were filing through my legs so I did my best to not step on them. While waiting for them to clear the way, I angled my head to behold the interior of the station and it was a fair size. There were upside-down palm tree chandeliers, broadway lights along the upper iron railways, a half-cylindrical ceiling, a metallic train schedule billboard with a mounted clock, and a stain-glassed forest themed window at the end of the room.

Of course, all this could've been found in any typical theme park back in my world; but, what baffled me the most was the number

of animals that were starting to appear out of nowhere. Our train didn't have too many animal passengers on board but as I followed Judy towards the escalator, we were joined by multitudes of other animals who were disembarking from other trains that had just arrived at the station. First, there were only beavers and ferrets. Then, a herd of light-toned, casually dressed sheep began to appear by our side. Next, we had a group of pigs and horses joining in. Later, I accidentally bumped into a walking tree that ended up being a... giraffe?! Now I felt like the short kid in 7th grade all over again.

I was met with curious stares but I kept my head down and continued to follow Judy who beckoned me to ascend the escalator with her. She wasn't very tall compared to the many animals here so I had to lock my vision onto the tips of her ears to avoid losing her in the crowd. Everything was getting weirder and weirder by the second and I didn't know how much more I could handle.

At the top of the escalator ramp, I felt a group of animals lightly pushing their way through me as I was the cause of slowing down the flow of foot traffic. My goodness! Was that a lion, a polar bear, and a moose right behind me? Where did they come from? Why were they wearing human clothes? How did they walk on two legs? So many questions I had and so little time to ponder it.

The upper area we were walking in had even more animals than I could ever count! There was a zebra, a snow leopard, a rhino, a timberwolf, a coyote, and a black bear, to name a few, all wearing street clothes and casually using cell phones in their paws/hooves. What kind of world was this? I should've known the answer already by now but I kept forgetting that this was all real!

Why was that hippo taking a bath in a public fountain while wearing a perfectly good business suit? This station was getting all too strange. But wait, there was another hippo emerging from the water behind him? Right, they're hippos. He stepped forward off the water platform and a strong gust of air rushed up his entire body to supposedly dry him off. How convenient of them to include such an apparatus in this place which meant that we floor signs were not necessary.

"You doing okay back there, Cherry?" Judy asked from upfront. 

"Still working on believing."

"Act natural and you'll be fine."

Not sure how helpful that was going to be. What did she mean by that? The only thing that felt natural to me was my tail and my ears while the rest was a disaster waiting to happen. Was my disguise really working? All the animals here were in a hurry and too distracted to take notice of me but that didn't mean a couple of long stares were shooting my way. The longer I stood still, the more vulnerable I'd become so it was necessary to keep moving and stay close to the uniformed bunny.

I stopped mid-stride as I came across a large art piece that consisted of many colorful interwoven tubes that were firmly attached to the ground. It seemed like a random structure to have in the middle of a station until I randomly tapped on one of the tubes and a random group of lemmings in business suits came out of nowhere. What the? I backed up in surprise because there were hundreds of them navigating their way through the tube maze while exiting at the bottom and accidentally plopping on top of one another. However, they didn't care about it so they kept walking while minding their own business. My, how much smaller do these animals get?

Judy and I passed the lemming tubes and observed them striding along while she gave them all a bright smile. On our left, Judy also greeted the worker at the juice bar including the line of giraffes awaiting their smoothies. Due to their avatar-like height, a pressurized air tube was able to lift their orders up to their level which was pretty nifty but it was ruined when one of the giraffes stuck out his 21-inch tongue to slurp the drink. Gross!

The other giraffes in line were beginning to give me uneasy looks about my appearance so I decided to pull up the brown cloak hood and allow my false wolf ears to poke through the top. It seemed to work for now but I had to keep walking before more animals caught wind of me. Too late. One of the rhinos and the bearded goats took our their phones, preparing to snap a picture, so I jogged ahead to catch up with Judy who was already making her way through the station's arched exits.

We passed a large male bear reading a newspaper while the poor little cub tried to get his attention. To the left, there was a group of what appeared to be little bunny scouts selling bunny scout cookies that were in the shape of carrots. Quite yummy looking, I must say. Behind the station pillar, my mouth dropped upon the sight of hundreds of rats and mice standing together out in the

open. Yuck! Was this place infested? Where was the cleanup crew? Nevermind, they were all wearing dress clothes and carrying

Target, err, Targoat bags? Okay... Moving on...

Turns out, there was a cleanup crew a couple of yards down the plaza and all of them were bobcats wearing aprons and carrying shovels. What's the matter with them? They're of the cat family and didn't have any desire to clean up the little rodents carrying shopping bags. This was too weird! Why didn't they attack? Right. Zootopia, harmony, coming together, I kept forgetting that. But in that case, what were they going to eat at the end of the day?

And the decorative buildings, what was up with them? They were far from being utilitarian compared to those of my world for their designs were beyond wild. Some were flowered, spiked, clovered, crooked, and even contained a hashtagged framework that kept me staring in awe and wonder. In the far distance, tucked away in a hill, there was one structure that had a marvelous waterfall pouring out from the upper balcony! If I had to guess, it was over 170 feet in height.

The animals built this entire city then? All from scratch? With their own paws and hooves? How did they do it? It was beyond me. These animals were as good as dead in my world but here they are now, right in front of me. It's as if they had come back from the dead to reclaim what they could've become. We humans used to rule the world but now everything was the other way around. Everything was backward. Animals were either endangered or extinct in my universe; but now, I was the one who was endangered, not them. I didn't know what to think or what to feel.

Seeing all these walking forms of life was both sweet and spooky to me. Was this all a crazy dream? Was I still lying in the crater? I got my answer when I accidentally walked into a female porcupine whose back was turned. She nearly fell over, grocery bags spilling, and barely caught her glasses.

"Oof!" I exclaimed, attempting to help her.

"Hey, watch it!" she scowled, picking up her baggage before I could.

She shed multiple quills upon impact but they didn't become painfully lodged into me or anything. Instead, they simply fell flat on the ground and she seemed confused by it, as if she had hoped I would've received the deserved punctures. Thank goodness for this suit.

She wasn't alone. Her family and other seemingly related quilly members were all there to witness the abnormality of the scene so I decided to walk away and ignore them. I was getting too distracted with all the dynamic scenery so I had to remain calm and focus on walking because, at this rate, I'd be the cause for a bigger scene. I had already caused one back in the forest from earlier and this city was no place to create a panic.

"Judy?" I called out, not knowing where she was. "Judy?" I looked everywhere and couldn't find her. Goodness, I had to stay focused and was already failing miserably at that. There's no way I'd find her in such a big city filled with big animals. This was getting too overwhelming.

"Over here!" she said. I followed the voice but couldn't see her. All around the plaza, there were opossums, otters, horses, moose, elk, and many more animals I couldn't specifically identify. There she was. She waved her paw in the air, jumped up and down, and the bright glare from her police badge gave her away. Whew! She didn't wander too far off. I gradually made my way towards her position while also weaving my way through herds, hoards, flocks, litters, and parades. Sweet mother of pearl, this place was like a giant zoo and it was incredible how many animals there were!

Finally, after careful maneuvering through the river of animals, I caught up to Judy. Then, she escorted me further down the plaza to where we were surrounded by giant electric billboards, whimsical product advertisements, and curious looking movie posters plastered all over the diverse buildings that were either pointy, curved, or jagged.

This had to be the Time's square of Zootopia. Living creatures of all shapes and sizes walking to and from every imaginable direction. Some slow, some fast. Those listening to music, others listening to podcasts, while others were on their way to work, or even playing...(sigh)...soccer. Four little animal cubs, a grizzly bear, a giraffe, a sheep, and a kangaroo, were kicking the soccer ball around the plaza and it ended up near my boots. The four cubs immediately came to an abrupt stop, not daring to proceed near

me but Judy, thankfully, distracted them by kicking the ball in the air, entertained them with a few tricks, then kicked the ball in the other direction. Just like that, they all went after it again.

Moreover, the plaza contained numerous colorful food stands, managed by different animals, that sold sandwiches, ice-cream, veggies, salads, fruits, bugs, insects, nuts and, wait a minute, insects? Bugs? Really? I inspected the stand and it was being run by a little meerkat wearing a light-colored tank top that had a banner above him that read 'Simon's Insects'. Awe, C'mon, that should've been a 'T' instead of an 'S'.

We were now at the epicenter of all the city commotion. Savanah Central is what the sign above me read in big bold letters. Life was booming, activity was well peaked for a Sunday, all the billboards were fully lit, animals from all sides walked past me, and none of them were people wearing highschool mascot suits. No, these were all real animals and I couldn't convince myself that it wasn't possible. They walked, talked, dressed, interacted, socialized, chatted, laughed, played, texted, hugged, and strolled like a human but there were definitely NOT human. No animal control, no poachers, no other humans in sight, just me and myself only. I've seen animals before so why was this all strange to me now? After all, animals existed in my world so why did it matter? Because these animals had never seen a human before, never interacted with one before, and humans never existed here. They had feelings, they had emotions, and they had a purpose. In my world, animals only existed to eat, sleep, and survive. Here, animals were here to eat, sleep, survive, _and live._

Many of these creatures I had seen behind glass windows, others behind bars in a lab, a couple in cages, while the rest only appeared as a 2D image in a history book. Not anymore. They were all around me and gave me stares as if white blood cells were about to attack a disease. Was I the disease? They didn't attack, most of them didn't even care, but some were eyeballing me and knew that there was something slightly off about me. Boy, they had no idea! Argh, too many stares. Could they please stop looking at me like I was freakin' Frankenstein? I swear, that makeshift tail, and those false ears were barely keeping me blended in. Judy and her friendly police presence of authority were also the only things that shielded me from potential trouble brewing.

Echidnas, chinchillas, anteaters, antelopes, kudus, an oryx, armadillos, badgers, honey badges, maple badgers, maple syrup badgers, bears, black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, polar bears, beavers, ferrets, camels, bunnies, elephants, gerbils, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, sheep, wolves, (sigh) the list goes on. They were all here! Everything and everyone except for a single human being. They had no place here, nor did we, humans, ever belong here. It's like it was never meant to be or never should be. But now, here I am among them. Completely out of place and so out of my timeline. I didn't belong here, I didn't belong anywhere. At the same time, I didn't want to go but I should've left when I had the chance. I should've died along with the rest of my kind in that teleporter. I don't feel so good.

Crud, is this the key part in my wild journey where I turn into an animal so that the correct balance of this universe is restored once more? Nope, I'm just feeling sick is all. I felt like that one kid on the first day of the academy who was different from everyone else, didn't know the language, had to take a couple of entry exams, and was about to be drafted into the fourth world war, all on the same day.

I stood firmly in place, wide stance, hands placed on my thighs to support my upper torso, and I was leaning far over as if I were about to throw up.

Luckily, I held it back, gradually recovered, and continued to survey the unknown plaza area. On the bright side, despite being on a foreign planet and feeling like an alien, it was definitely a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining, and the sky filled with bright blue and fluffy clouds. Nice days like this were extremely rare to none on my planet so I had to focus on that good aspect to keep my spirits high.

On a digital mega screen that was about the same height as the adjacent buildings, opposite of the train station, there was a slender figure that appeared. She had wide hips, pale gold fur, brown eyes, a long lock of blonde hair, curving black horns, and a sparkling

red top. With a soft, echoing voice she announced:

_I'm Gazelle. Welcome to Zootopia._

"Obviously, you are a gazelle," I thought in my head. "I could've told you that."

Judy led the way further into a public park, situated in the plaza, that contained spewing water fountains, a shiny pond, and a group of scattered savanna trees. Families were chatting and having a good time but I phased them out. Instead of walking through, I desperately picked out a fair-sized sandstone bench on the outer borders of the park and chose to sit myself down in defeat. Honestly, I felt mentally beat right now and needed some respite because my mind was about to explode. I wanted to take my helmet off and massage my forehead but here wasn't the time nor the place to do so.

Judy was ahead of me but soon took note that I had fallen behind so she quickly skipped over to where I was. "Hey!" she greeted with a warm smile.

While sitting in place, my hands firmly clasped my head, trying to relieve the throbbing pain. "Man..." I muttered while letting out a sigh.

"How are you holding up?" Judy asked, joining me on the tall bench, with her legs dangling. "I imagine it's a lot for you to take in."

No words could describe how I was feeling right now and it was unlike anything I had felt before. All I really could do was nod in submission. We both sat in silence, watching in awe as the energetic city of Zootopia continued to thrive around us. Never had I seen so many diverse forms of life roaming about that I felt like my own life energy was being drained. The little bunny officer knew that I was troubled, turned to face me, but waited before speaking. "So, what do you think?" she continued.

I took a deep breath then gingerly exhaled. "I think I need a drink."


	21. Some Words of Wisdom

"Say no more!" Judy proclaimed with excitement, standing atop the bench. "I know just the place to get drinks."

"That'd be wonderful."

"Let's go then!" Judy hopped off the bench, started skipping, but I didn't feel well enough to follow her so she turned around. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll stay here... if that's okay."

Judy scanned the area but seemed worried about leaving me alone. "Are you sure?" 

"Positive." I quickly nodded.

"I don't want you feeling sick on your first day in Zootopia." 

"I'm fine...I just need to...absorb."

"Take your time. I can bring us some drinks. Any requests? They've got some of the best coffee here."

I could smell it in the distance but had to resist. "I don't drink coffee."

"Tea?" she offered.

It was too hot for tea so I shook my head. "Not tea."

"Hmmm, how about some fruit water? They've got freshly squeezed lemonade over by city hall."

_Now we're talking._

"That works," I instinctively checked my imaginary pockets for money but there was no wallet to be found. My HUD's currency checker indicated that I had a couple thousand galactic credits remaining but those were worthless by now. After all, they weren't physical currency since they were only qubits. Come to think of it, I'd have to find some way to gain Zootopian currency If I were to remain stuck here for a while. Until then, I'd have to write some IOUs for the meantime.

"I promise I'll pay you back." I continued. 

"Don't worry, I've got you covered!"

"Thanks, Judy."

"No problem! Oh, and, by the way, they do have _cherry_ lemonade if that interests you." 

I shook my head. "Regular's fine."

"Coming right up! Stay here and please... don't go wandering off," she advised, before gracefully skipping away down the plaza. With all the animals around her, it was difficult to see where exactly she was going but she seemed to be heading towards the inverted 'Y'-shaped building in the outer plaza distance that had a waterfall pouring out above the main entrance. Whatever that was, I'm sure she knew the area well.

"I've got nowhere else to be." I shrugged.

The sandstone bench I sat on had no backrest of any sort so I pivoted myself in 180 degrees to face a spectacularly choreographed water fountain situated in the central green patch of the plaza park. The display consisted of water spewing into the shape of a circular hollow pillar along with a line of water cannons that cut straight through the middle. The height and pressure behind each individual tube had a dynamic variation but they staying in sync with one another and made the entire scene feel quite mesmerizing to watch.

As seconds passed and as my head slowly started to clear up, I beheld more details regarding the plaza I was in. The park itself made a fine addition to the city for it had plenty of green space and quite a few dirt pathways to navigate around. On a bright sunny day, there were scattered trees of reasonable height to provide sufficient shade and there were a couple of flat rocks here and there that served as alternative benches for those who were perhaps weary from work.

Though, instead of people, this place was filled with a diverse range of animals who leisurely went about their day as normal humans would've. There were picnics going on, blankets being laid out, bears sitting and relaxing, they ate porridge with honey, elderly wildebeests walking laps around the fountain, a group of leopard youth was climbing one of the oak trees, horses chattering, antelope taking a stroll, zebras doing some yoga, sloths staring at the clouds, weasels doing pushups and pullups, and, well, you get the idea. If I sat here long enough then I could probably spend the entire day listing everything that was going on in the plaza.

Back at home, people-watching was done on the city streets and animal-watching was done in the zoos. Here, it could be done right here where I was at. However, instead of watching animals behind glass and trapped beneath steel bars, they could be watched without barriers to hold them back from their dreams. No longer were they encaged, they were free to do whatever, whenever, and wherever they pleased. No cruel human was around to prod them with an electric shock rod or manipulate them with a raw piece of crude steak. Instead of seeing animals spend their days in solitary confinement, pushing a tennis ball, rolling logs around, eating grass, or sleeping in a spare tire, I saw them live the life that we all longed for.

Near the outer pathway, adjacent to the park, I saw a young male jaguar, most likely in his late twenties, briskly walking by. He had yellow fur spattered with black spots, brown eyes, a dark nose, as well as a rather long tail that waved around as he moved. He was dressed in a quality business suit and was conversing with someone on his cellular device.

"Yes sir! You can count on me to hunt those tax exemptions for you." he enthusiastically declared. He continuously strode, caught me at the corner of his eye, took a brief note, then resumed his routine.

Behind me, there was a family of five koalas pushing a baby stroller and one of the kids appeared to be playing on his miniature device but expressed facial frustration upon the sound of boss music.

"Aww, I got dead again. This game stinks," the kid whined, while his mother took the phone out of his grasping paws.

To the left of my view, a small trolly carried a group of mostly kudu and oryx passengers, two of which were carrying overstuffed grocery bags and both were visibly arguing.

"C'mon Pronk, I said the twelve-pack, not the twenty-four pack!"

"Yeah? Well, it's cheaper."

"Don't expect me to share the better quality."

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

Jeez. It looks like the animals here were able to argue about first-world problems which were something we commonly did in my world. Sadly, our species would make a fuss over such trivial matters in ways that couldn't be imagined until it actually occurred. In our case, a common argument involved land encroaching disputes and trying to keep trespassers at bay.

As our population dwindled in time, land became more available, albeit, it was more often charred and hardly useful. Take Mars as one of the many examples. One of our retired leaders purchased the entire planet for himself, plenty of lands were available to others, but he became aggressive if anyone ever set foot on his world. Accidental, unintentional, or not, any unfortunate soul wouldn't make it off the surface alive. We often joked that it was due to the fact his internet was slow so he had to eliminate any possible interference. Thus, if anyone needed a pit stop while passing Mars then it was simply wiser to carry extra fuel for the journey.

Here in Zootopia, sitting on this park bench proved to be an ideal enough pit stop for me. The place was comfortable, peaceful, a little louder and hectic than Bunnyburrows, but still pleasant to be here. Aside from the fantasy-land city buildings and the weird-looking inhabitants that I strived to get used to, the air was lovely, the sky was clean, and the warm sun shone with bright beams of hope, especially through the cool mists of the park fountain.

I felt an object tap my lower boot so I repositioned myself to see what it was. Hopefully, it wasn't a live frag grenade.

Turns out, it was worse. It was...(sigh)...another soccer ball. This time, the size being half the ones found in my world. Man, these things were everywhere. At least, with a live grenade, I could toss it in the air and watch it magically explode into tiny pieces then it'd be gone. But, as for the soccer ball, it wasn't rigged to blow when it should've been. Why couldn't it be a rugby ball or even a basketball out of all the things? Another personal first world problem, I suppose. However, soccer balls were heavily used in developing countries back in my universe so maybe losing the only thing keeping a child's moral up was sometimes a third-world problem? I'm no expert and I'm definitely not a soccer player so I had no say in the issue. Soccer didn't matter to me but it mattered to others so I'd best not bicker and keep my mouth shut.

Without a hint of further hesitation, I gripped the ball, trying not to crush it, and tossed it overhead towards whoever wanted it.

Within seconds, a team of teenage hedgehogs and kangaroos spotted the soccer ball then they really went to town on it. I was met with perplexed and mystified stares but I kept my focus on the water show ahead of me. Some eventually went back into the game but two others wouldn't stop looking. Realizing I was sitting on top of my fluffy tail, I pulled it out from underneath me in hopes that it would give off an animal impression but it only swayed one and not the other. Notwithstanding, I paid no attention but it caused the young female hedgehog to come forward. Oh, crud.

I heard a little paw tap the tip of my knee and she had brown fur and quills, purple t-shirt, white shorts, and a pink bow. 

"Umm, excuse me...sir? What are you supposed to be exactly?" she implored.

I tilted upward to get a better look. She was quite small for her teenage size but bold enough to approach someone as strange as me. Sometimes, the bravery in these animals is what really got me. I didn't say a word but attempted to give a friendly confused head tilt in hopes that she'd take back her question.

"Ooh, ooh, wait!" she continued with rising intensity in her voice. "I know what you are!" 

"You do?"

"Yes! You're dressed as the main character from _The Hibernant!_ It's like my favorite movie of all time!" 

"You mean _The Revenant_?" I asked until she gave me a blank look. "Nevermind."

"Wow, this is incredible," she stated with much admiration, walking in circles around me. "But it kinda looks uncomfortable."

"YOU are making me uncomfortable."

"Can I ask you some questions about it?"

"No."

"What materials did you use?" she asked, conducting an inspection as if I were some vintage car. "How'd you stitch it together?" 

"Paws off please," I sternly commanded. Her cuteness didn't matter anymore because she was being a complete headache. 

"Aren't you a little late for the premiere?"

"Kid--"

"Wow, and why do you have blue eyes instead of brown?" she pondered out loud to herself. "That's not how he was in the movie..."

"Stop."

"..but I still like it either way though."

"Please...go away."

"Alrighty, I'm sooo gonna InstaPaw this." she pulled out her flip-phone, stood a fair distance away, so I couldn't intervene. 

"Don't do it." I strictly pointed at her.

She made a couple of clicks. "Got it! And it's posted. Ooh, and it's got two likes already!" she cheered and danced in place.

I sighed. "...You don't listen, do you?"

"Ha! I listen to music! Thank you so much for letting me get a picture! Byeee!" she waved before prancing off. 

"... _Completely mental._ " I groaned, knowing she heard me not.

As soon as she joyfully skipped away, I wasted no further second as I attempted to tap into her phone's frequency and wipe out all recent actions within the last thirty seconds. I had to be quick, while she was in range, so I thankfully and eventually managed to erase the image, including the one she nonconsensually posted. At this point, the image should only appear as a blank white jpg file.

Sadly for female sonic, the phone was put away so she'd be in for a heck of a disappointment upon returning home tonight to check social media stats. Two users have already seen the image but at least I put an end to it for now. That situation was considered a freebie because next time I probably wouldn't be so lucky to evade attention if everyone and their mother possessed a phone. Glad it worked on that pesky hedgehog but it sure took longer than usual to execute the short term wipe. Perhaps it was just the varied technology here.

Finally, I was alone at last and able to enjoy the calming scenery from this sturdy bench that I've been lazily sitting on for the last couple of minutes. I kept thinking about all the upcoming distractions and interruptions that were either expected to occur or scheduled to occur in my own personal space; luckily, nothing happened and I was pleasantly surprised.

So far, this day had been full of weird animals trying to overstep the bounds and someone like me would think that a city of such diverse proportions would be full of all that irritation. However, I was unexpectedly spared from all the trouble for the next little bit.

That didn't necessarily mean no one was shooting me confused glares in my direction but I was content with the fact that no one approached me as the others did before. Over by the tree, close to the shrubbery, a variety of animals were inspecting my appearance and trying to decide what kind of species I was. They sounded like they were debating but their conversations weren't very audible so I stared at the ground, picked up a random piece of stone, then started to fiddle around with it to pass the time. Clearly, I was getting nervous again. But why should I be though? They were only animals.

...

The familiar sound of soft steps tapped the pavement and was closing in so it had to be Judy.

...

Turns out, It was Judy indeed. Here she came. The great hero as they say. As usual, she had a bright smile of hope on her face, and it manifested her happiness to serve the mammals of Zootopia.

Both her paws carried two crystal clear drink cups with red straws, the smaller one with pink-lemonade and the larger one with regular-lemonade. Sweet mother of pearl, those beverages sure looked refreshing and as amazing as the those presented on old T.V. commercials! In my head, I was thinking 'Come to Papa' because my thirst levels felt exceedingly great, especially for a young cybernetic human like me who easily got thirsty.

"Hey, sorry about the wait! I was talking with an old friend of mine."

"All good officer, just admiring the fountain." I gestured behind me. 

She smiled warmly, "How are you holding up?"

She stood directly in front, then extended her arm to hand me the larger lemonade beverage. The bunny's generosity and kindness began to hit me hard because I felt like a human, such as myself, didn't deserve such treatment, considering all the things we've done in our past. Nevertheless, I accepted the drink by grasping it then slowly stood up from the bench.

"With everyone staring, it feels like Comic-Con all over again."

Judy tilted her head in confusion. "What's a comic con?"

She wouldn't get the reference. "Nevermind. Forget it."

There was no use in explaining even though it was a popular convention for furries.

She let out a little giggle, took a sip from her pink lemonade, scanned the plaza in admiration, then turned back to me. "What do you think of Zootopia so far? Do you like it?"

I was about to take the first sip but decided to give an answer. "To be fair, it's... overwhelming...there's too much going on..." I pondered then paused before pivoting my head around to get a better overall glance at the beautiful city before us. "...but it seems like a good place."

Everything from the unique skyline, the diverse species roaming about, the sounds, the scents, and the temperature, were unlike any traits found back at home. Everything here was so full of life and light but flipped upside down. In my world, few humans ever walked the streets with hardly any animal in sight whereas here, many animals walked and crowded the streets without a single human soul to be found. It initially felt lonely, being the only extraterrestrial here, but it was a privilege to be among the living.

"But do you like it?" she asked.

I nodded. "I like it."

She looked relieved. "I'm glad you do! Once you see all that Zootopia has to offer, you're going to love it." 

I smiled at her optimism and appreciated her words. Too bad she couldn't see my expression but I felt as if she could somehow read it.

"What were cities like in your world?" she wondered. "Were they just as big?"

"Much bigger." I gestured with both arms.

Judy's eyes widened greatly and were taken back in surprise. "Bigger than all this?!"

"Yes, by a long shot."

"That's... That's really cool."

"Not really, while they were large and impressive, they were also empty and mostly abandoned."

She looked down for a moment until her ears drooped over. "What happened?"

My mind immediately flooded with a barrage of answers. The fate of our once beloved cities resulted from a large number of factors, such as war, disease, Progenitor-89, rising global temperatures, geomagnetic planetary shifting, lack of food, bioterrorism, or nuclear fallout to name a few. I remembered that one day I was standing in the crumbling remains of the Empire State Building of New York.

As I stood on the ledge, I glanced out on the skyline and beheld a city that was in ruin. No light, no blue sky, and no signs of life. Just skulls, bricks, rubble, collapsed buildings, dried riverbeds, and a vaporized Central Park behind me. At the time, I had never been to New York in its pristine condition so I had no idea what its better days were like. The only clue I had was a postage card I found in someone's partially scorched backpack from 17 floors down.

Upon the dead horizon, with the postcard in my hand, I extended my arm fully to perform a compare and contrast between past and present. On the card, Lady Liberty was standing proud and strong; however, from my point of view, she was decapitated down to the shoulders. Back then we either destroyed the city or risked losing the entire planet. What's done is done and our future was temporarily preserved.

...

"...Cherry?"

Realizing I was zoned out for a bit, I shook my head to whip myself back into reality. After this, I refocused myself on Judy and tried to think of a simple answer because a beautiful city such as hers didn't deserve to be troubled.

She lightly tapped my knee. "Is everything alright? What happened?"

"Yeah...I'm okay." I quickly looked around again and felt a sense of relief wash over me upon remembering that I was back in

Zootopia. A city that gleamed and glowed with a bright sense of life and hope.

"To answer your question Judy, our society just didn't work out... so we aimed for the stars...but we missed. That's all I can say." 

Her voice became more reverent and filled with sorrow. "Cherry... I'm really sorry... for what happened to your world."

"Yeah, we had our chance... but we threw it all away. We could've been a better example unto other nations but... it's too late for that now."

Judy looked at me in the eyes then took a deep breath before continuing. "Every society has its flaws, I imagine; even Zootopia has times where it suffers from predator and prey relationships, species inclusion, you name it. So don't be hard on yourself. Turns out, real life is a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real-life is messy."

"My world can surely testify to that." I nodded in agreement. "We found ourselves in plenty of messy situations."

She reflected for a brief moment then turned to me. "But we can't always control it. Sometimes, all we can do is the small things that often lead to big changes if we're consistent. Change starts with us."

"It starts with us, individually."

"That's right!"

"But this place, it's got so much going for it."

"I agree! While it may not be perfect, if we try our best to understand and help one another, Zootopia will have an exceptionally bright future."

I looked at the wonderous city skyline around our vicinity and had the urge to agree with her words. However, I held my human hands out in front of me and felt a sense of heaviness build upon me. "But now that I'm here, I don't want to mess it all up."

"Don't worry, you won't." she encouraged with brightness in her tone. "I can only imagine what you're feeling right now Cherry, plus all the questions you might have." she pondered once more before continuing. "But trust me, everything's going to be alright. You'll see.''

"You think so?" 

"I know so!"

"Hopefully." I nodded with delay, having a modicum of respect to Judy's optimism. Never had I encountered a creature who had so much hope. "Up until this point, you've taken good care of me," I admitted.

"Hey, that's what friends are for. Together, we'll make it work." 

"Thanks, Judy."

"Anytime!" she smiled brightly, giving off a pleasant vibe that seemingly toned my worries down by a few degrees. With the lemonade cup in her right paw, she fully extended her right arm towards me.

"Cheers?"

Amused by her little gesture, I also extended my arm then gently tapped my cup with hers. "Cheers."

...

This was going to be my first delicious sip of ice-cold Zootopian lemonade so I wasted no further time being thirsty and prepared for the soothing cold drink to cascade down my poor, dry throat. By then, all would be well.

Without any time to react, the wind got completely knocked out of me as I felt a large momentous force smash into me and Judy that caused both of us to fall onto the hard ground. The broken ice cubes were spread out like a debris field and the cold lemonade was now warmly spilled and spread out across the plaza pavement.

_What happened? Was it a wrecking ball? Was it a train? A bus? Whatever it came from, it definitely hurt._

Despite my blurred vision and wasted beverage, I felt okay for the most part since my armor absorbed most of the impact However, Judy laid there with a paw on her forehead, struggling to stand up. I propped myself into a kneeling position and saw a colossal grizzly bear who was sprawled out on his stomach. He too didn't fare too well for he must've collided with me at full speed without even looking which caused him to groan in throbbing pain. Boy, these organic life forms never learn, do they?

Next to him, there was a fairly sized black business briefcase but I paid no further attention to it so that I could assist my furry friend first.

"Judy? You good?" I inquired while offering a hand.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay. Thanks." she gripped my hand then I carefully pulled her up. She limped over to the fallen bear to check on him. "Sir, are you... alright?"

"Argh! My head!" he growled in frustration, dizzyingly attempting to stand up straight.

Behind him in the distance, there were two other animals fast approaching our vicinity. Assumingly, they were bystanders coming over to offer help while everyone else simply stood there. One of them was a hyena with light brown fur with dark spots, a white collared t-shirt, and green jeans. The other mammal, being much larger in stature, was a tiger with orange fur, brown eyes, cream muzzle, and a blue collared shirt.

"C'mon Fred! Get up! We're running late." the hyena frantically called out, who was also carrying his own briefcase. 

The bear quickly grabbed his large briefcase and began to scuttle. "Argh, I'm coming, I'm coming!"

The three animals reunited, spoke no further, and began to book it down the plaza. Unlike animals found on my Earth, they ran away on two legs instead of four. Weird.

From the same direction they came from, a female raccoon came over to our position. She had grey fur, a navy blue jacket, a white shirt, a gray skirt, and tremendous distress in her voice.

"Officer Hopps! Thank God! My antique store! It was just robbed! They're getting away!"

"Yes! Don't worry, ma'am, I got this!" she immediately took off without haste and began to chase after the three animals on foot. I followed the uniformed bunny from behind but she commanded me. "Stay here, Cherry!"

However, I heeded not to her advice so I instinctively ran after them as well. There's no way a bunny could take on three animals by herself so she needed all the help she could get. I couldn't believe a little prey, such as herself, had the guts to pursue three predators that were more than thrice her size and seven times her weight.

The area in the plaza had grown increasingly crowded by the afternoon so the three mammal suspects really had to push and shove their way through numerous clusters of civilians to allow proper escape. Some fell over, others ignored what was occurring, a few dodged, while the rest didn't know what to do or how to react so they simply stood still.

After quick bursts of energy, the little bunny caught up to the bear who lagged behind in the group and attempted to make an arrest. Oh boy, this would not end well for Judy. The bear raised his deadly paw to slash at Judy but she nimbly slid under him, avoided his swipe, jumped onto the side of a moving ferry cart, propelled herself off of it, then landed a solid kick to the bear's face, causing him to plummet to the ground.

 _Holy, did she just do that?_ Turns out, Hazel wasn't joking about Judy after all.

Without delay, Judy leaped onto the fallen bear's back and instantly cuffed his paws together with what appeared to be zip ties.

The two other perturbed animals looked at each other in utter disbelief and briefly stopped in place. Then, while Judy was occupied, the imposing tiger hurried over to retrieve the bear's dropped briefcase. He was about to slash at Officer Hopps but the loud incoming sound of my armored boots caused his ears to perk up and be on high alert. Another disguise modification I overlooked since everyone here walked on soft, quiet paws.

"What the--?" the tiger puzzlingly questioned with a deep voice.

"ZPD! Freeze!" Judy sternly commanded, pulling out what appeared to be an air-powered tranquilizer dart gun. I admired her authority, without a doubt, but that pistol was, in my opinion, a sad excuse for a weapon.

"C'mon Andy! We gotta get out of here! Let's go!" the hyena frettingly called out.

The tiger hastily tucked the case under his bicep and made a run for it. He and the panicky hyena were beginning to scurry away so Judy left behind the cuffed bear to resume the chase. Never thought I'd ever witness a hyena and a tiger running away from a brave little bunny. Welcome to Zootopia, I guess. However, they both probably knew who Officer Hopps was and were smart enough to know that their tails would be handed over to them.

"Stop! Stop in the name of the law!" she ordered while bolting after them. They wouldn't obey so they continued down the vast plaza and I decided to follow along. Things were about to get really interesting from here.

I probably should've stayed put, as Judy directed, but there had to be some way I could help out. She ran much faster compared to our last morning run in the Bunnyburrow forest but, even then, I barely managed to keep up with her. Goodness, she was definitely focused and she was highly determined to catch those thieves.

"This is Officer Hopps, we got a 10-31. I am in pursuit!" she announced on the radio.

The two suspects ran straight through the central water fountain feature in the park while the water tube thrusters were still recharging. Judy managed to gracefully cross through, leaping from one thruster tip to another, while using the water rocks to facilitate her crossing. I was right behind Judy so I also had a possible chance of making it through.

As soon as my boots splashed the water, I could hear a network of tubes circulating liquid around. Not wanting to get shot with water, I quickly moved through the fountain pond but I didn't time it right. Without further warning, multiple strong beams of water shot straight up my groin and blasted me right in the face as I ran but I continuously pressed forward, trying to ignore how awkward it must've appeared.

I reached the edge of the fountain pond, my armor completely soaked and dripping everywhere, but I didn't care. At least it wasn't like that one time with Old Faithful. Judy was only thirty feet ahead so I sprinted to finally catch up to her. We were now side by side, running together, a human and a bunny, chasing after two whippersnappers through the streets of Zootopia.

While running, Judy turned over to me in surprise and gave a disquieted stare. "Cherry?! What are you doing?" "Helping you out."

"What? No! I got this." "Too bad, I'm coming."

"Cherry, please! I don't want you to hurt them!"

"I'll ask nicely," I assured.

That didn't seem to help for she knew the things I've done before.

She tried to say more but the two suspects were getting further away so she refocused herself to pick up greater speed. My, she was undoubtedly fast for a bunny. In terms of Call of Duty, flak jacket was my perk but she most certainly had lightweight as her perk.

The two suspects wouldn't give in so they continued to wear us out for the next little while as we chased them down the streets.

Boy, did they feel apprehensive about me! My disguise was working somewhat...but my footsteps, sigh, my steps were too loud and mechanical. Dead silence is what I needed right now but I had to make the most with what I currently had. Should I just stop and let Judy catch them? Wouldn't that be a better idea? Of course not, I thought. She may be just a bunny but she's proven to be much more than that.

Running along to chase the two mammals, I continued to notice the buildings around me getting taller and taller after each block I passed. The city itself, the architecture, the animals, the cars, everything, was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Nevertheless, I set those things aside and focused on catching the 'bad' guys.

We came to a small 'T' intersection by which we came from the bottom of the "T" until it spread out into two opposite directions, left and right. We were nearing the dead end, but, turns out, there was a small hidden ally way that the hyena and tiger chose to take. Classic. Now we're off of the main streets and getting ourselves involved in close quarters.

I had a super feeling that Judy and I, together, would catch these suspects in no time. We were gaining upon them, getting within eighteen feet, until one of them shouted and signaled to the other.

...

...

...

"Andy! Let's split! You go right, I go left!"

...

...

...

Just like that, we approached a fork in the road; rather, we approached a fork in the alleyway where each path gradually curved off into an east/west direction. Each animal took his own special route where the hyena went left and the tiger went right. They were trying to lose us which meant we could no longer catch them together.

"Officer Hopps to dispatch, 10-78. Suspects split. Tiger entering precinct 2, hyena possibly entering precinct 3."

Judy finished radioing and was seemingly set on pursuing after the hyena, something that was closer to her own size to pick on. I made my decision and already had my eye on the other target. My soldier instincts were kicking in, I couldn't help it, so I sprinted past Judy and headed straight for one of the narrow alleyways, causing her to give me an uneasy glance.

"Cherry?" Judy hollered as I entered the passage.

"Don't worry Judy, I got the tiger."


	22. The Shrieval Pursuit

"I've got the tiger." I declared. "He's mine."

But I was only talking to myself.

Officer Hopps had already disappeared down her respective alleyway so we were both now paired up with our own fleeing crooks. Judy had the pesky little hyena and I had the big brawny tiger. I've done my fair share of foot chases back in the day against looters but never against an animal, let alone, a tiger that should've been the one chasing me. This was about to get fun.

Honestly, I could care less about an antique store being robbed, though, I did feel bad for the female raccoon who had to go through all this trouble. Whatever antiques those animals stole, I'm sure they held some type of historical, material, or sentimental value to Zootopia that I wouldn't understand. Heart of the Ocean, Lost Ark, Football signed by Joe Montana, whatever might've been in that briefcase, it didn't matter to me. Why then, did I bother to help Judy pursue these thugs?

Part of it was inner-soldier instinct, another part was doing the right thing, but above all, I was mostly annoyed with the fact that I couldn't get a single sip of that sparkling ice-cold lemonade. All this running made me exceedingly thirsty but I promised myself to get a refreshing drink once I caught that feline crook.

Our run through the narrow alleyway quickly converted into a sprint as the tiger would stop at nothing to escape from near capture. Thus, I had to fight back those cramping side aches if I were to have any success at completing this unannounced marathon. Unlike those action movie scenes, my energy wasn't unlimited so I had every intention to finish this before I lost my patience and did something that I normally wouldn't do.

The buildings along the edges were fairly small, too small for either of us to slip through, so the tiger took a desperate measure by flinging garbage cans in my path. Jeez! There was already enough noise being made between the two of us. The metal was flying everywhere, lids were clattering, and glass bottles were shattering along the pavement. Good thing I had boots on but those poor animals had better summon a cleanup crew soon or someone would be limping home.

The cans were mostly empty but they still partially impeded my ability to catch up with him. I nearly tripped on some, leaped over a couple, and stomped on the rest, causing them to smash flat like an empty soda can. Luckily, no one was around to hear all the ruckus except for a handful of armadillos curling up into a tight ball as a natural defensive instinct. As the sounds of bashing metal cans continued on, the narrow passage further amplified the thunderous noise.

One of the metal lids conveniently rolled towards me, I snatched it on the run, positioned it in my gauntlet, then flicked my wrist hard to send it flying down the alleyway towards the head of the tiger. Missed. It went too high and shattered an overhead lamppost bulb.

"What the devil?!" the tiger exclaimed, quizzically looking back at me while prowling.

Irritated, I wished to try again so I picked up another garbage can lid mid-sprint and repositioned it to be thrown. This one was much bigger than the previous one so I was eager to land the perfect throw. Just like that, I could put an end to this wild goose chase.

"Argh!" I exerted while heroically flinging the garbage can lid as hard as I could across the alley. It curved through the air, had a promising trajectory, barely missing the tiger's head, and shattered a nearby flower pot upon impact. "How does Cap do that?" I murmured.

While still running, the tiger turned his head around to see who exactly was throwing those metallic frisbees at him. Upon seeing me fast approaching, his face filled with immense anger.

"HEY! What's your problem freak?" he loudly roared, causing the nearby vermin citizens to skedaddle back into their tiny homes. I was kinda surprised this cat wouldn't go after them. Then again, the animals here were evolved enough to not eat each other.

Tightly clenching both my fists, I prepared to tackle the large tiger but he immediately turned a sharp corner. This caused me to smash a hole in the brick wall, leaving a crater behind, and I couldn't reach him. I barely caught hold of his tail but he moved quicker than I could get a tight grip on it. Drat! Almost got him. I had to keep going. He was light on his feet, wore lightweight clothing consisting of a dark tank top and levis, and had only a briefcase to slow him down.

Brushing off the dust and flicking away a chunk of brick perched on my shoulder, I resumed the chase and told myself not to break anything anymore. However, if this chase didn't end soon then there'd be no guarantees.

He raced further down the alleyway that gradually became covered with vibrant green ferns and leafy shrubbery all around until it felt like a miniature garden archway. The colors were so pretty that I started to get distracted from the suspect ahead of me but I managed to snap myself back into the more pressing situation. The end of the alley was nearing us and the exit was marked by an opulent iron gateway that leads directly into a street view.

Oh great.

Can't this dumb tiger stick to the alleyways instead? Now everyone's going to see me in the streets! No matter, I already dedicated myself to catching him. Perhaps I could lure him into another less visible area if I got lucky.

Instead of taking the sidewalk, the audacious tiger immediately crossed the street despite the incoming flow of heavy traffic. Car horns were resonating as crazy, sirens blared, and twerpy little beeps were going off on all sides. The tiger was getting away, he was already halfway across the road, and I barely made it to the sidewalk before nearly running head-on into an elephant wearing a business dress.

"Watch where you're going!" she warned in vexation, keeping her purse away. 

I felt another animal lightly crash into my back. "Hey! Careful now!" he called out, being a jackal jogger.

Too many animals were on the sidewalk so I decided to take the risk and cross the busy street. Why were kids playing with remote-controlled cars in the streets? Wait a minute, those were...actual cars? Licensed cars? Crud! I'd hate to squash a family of shrews, mice, rats, and...squirrels? Okay...being a traffic flow manager here would drive me absolutely nuts.

Since when did all these little vermin learn to drive? With all the gigantic cars around there's no way they could feel safe in those vehicles, even with a designated lane. Too many mouse cars were tapping into my boots so I had to keep moving forward to avoid a massive car pileup. While making my way over to the middle of the road, a series of animal voices emanated from passengers and drivers alike.

"Move it!" a gruff female shouted.

"Out of the road!"

"Ice him!" a small but profound voice uttered. 

"USE the crosswalk, idiot!"

"Crickets, what is that thing?!"

"C'mon, dude!" a black panther pizza delivery driver urged.

The tiger was nearing the other side and I had just crossed over the traffic island that contained a fine selection of lilies, sunflowers, roses, and...nevermind. Forget it. Must focus. I unintentionally stepped on the flowers to make a leap over one of the red sedans then finally landed near the middle lane. Finally, I got lucky enough to have other cars stop in place for me so I was able to proceed to the other side without denting any hoods. However, slamming on the breaks didn't make them too happy, especially for those ornery cab drivers who had those strange looking brown spotted yellow vehicles.

Almost made it across this river of animal traffic and my boot was nearing the edge of the sidewalk. However, a lion road biker, coming out of nowhere and dinging his silver bell, nearly collided with me but succeeded in swerving off to the side. Good grief, this city had too much activity going on! He only gave me a fierce glare then pedaled away.

The tiger was briefly in my sight but a giraffe-sized taxi passed in front of my view and then he was nowhere to be seen. Crud. There's no way he could've just hitchhiked so he still had to be in the same area. Did he go inside this gilded theater building? No, the door was locked. Perfume department? Not likely, the door wasn't even locked but it was much too short for a brawny tiger to slip through. The doorman, rather, the doormammal positioned just outside the elegant building, was a finely dressed koala bear with a crimson-colored tuxedo. He gave me a sour stare, didn't say anything, locked the revolving door, and began shooing me away.

The sidewalk on this side was no less busy than the previous side we just came from. Animals of all heights, shapes, colors, weights, and sizes were all strolling about on the sidewalk with much prisa. Exiting a large black SUV, there was a group of three burly and tall polar bears with navy blue mafia-esque suits, black sweaters, golden chains, and all looked like they wanted to hurt me so I trotted away from them. What was their problem? I probably could've taken on at least one of them but the other two I wasn't so sure about. They were a bit taller than me and I found it better to move away because they didn't seem to have a real desire to fight. Rather, they were only trying to scare me for some unknown reason because one of them cracked his knuckles in satisfaction then turned to walk the other direction.

Moving along, a moose and a camel walked side by side while talking on their cellular devices, a rhino carried a large 'Just Zoo It' gym bag as if he were some bodybuilder returning from the gym, a gathering of bobcat scouts were selling what appeared to be paw-shaped sugar cookies, two zebras, mother, and daughter, were carrying shopping bags filled with fashionable clothing, two giraffes were laughing and sharing social media memes, a reindeer with circular glasses read a newspaper while walking with groups of mice hitching a ride on his antlers, and many other multitudes of animals appeared that I couldn't name off.

Goodness! This was far too much animal for me in one day. I pulled my hood over my helmet, tried to blend in, but I felt a tap on my shoulder. I ignored it and continued to move forward while looking for the tiger target. I lost sight of him but I knew he was around here somewhere. Did he go inside one of these buildings? I sure hoped not, otherwise, it'd be like trying to find a piece of hay in the needle stack.

Arching my neck upward, while still remaining focused on the task, I identified a series of awesome and intricate building designs that made my planet's architecture unworthy. Pointing towards the sky, the structure across the street had the shape of an elaborate scepter, the other one felt like a complex Jenga tower, and the other ones appeared as a stack of takeout boxes from different restaurants. Some skyscrapers made me laugh, others made me wonder, a few made me question their structural stability, and the rest made my jaw drop heavy as if the lower lip were numb.

I passed a luxurious movie theater, a sports store, Snarlbucks Coffee, Hoof Locker, and a Preyda store but still no sight of the tiger. If this place wasn't so weird to me then I probably would've caught the tiger by now but my mind continued to try and process everything. Everything here was so booming and lively that it was almost too hard to believe, considering all the dark days I've been through. Back at home, all the stores were either closed down, abandoned, or integrated into a larger company that took off on the internet. 

Our streets were practically abandoned for centuries, no one would ever walk them, we flew in the air, ground drones kept the streets maintained, but here it was not the case. Everything that my formidable race once destroyed was now back from the dead albeit, in a different form.

My thoughts of past guilt were running their full course again, and, paired with heavy thirst, my mind was really starting to feel like it was wrapped in a tight coil of barbed wire. I had to keep walking so, using my gauntlet, I firmly pressed my helmet against my head to ease the pain. With all the anomalous stares I got from the Zootopian pedestrians, it was getting harder and harder to free myself from all this daunting pressure.

And yet, here they were. Seemingly resurrected. All of them walked the streets and, oh, how painful it was to watch them enjoy the life that they never could enjoy in my universe! The adults, the elderly, the families, the children, the cubs, and, no, no, no, not the cubs! Why did they have to remind me? Those curious, friendly stares were so haunting because we never returned the favor back in our experimental zoos. These innocent animals had no idea what we did to them in my world but I most certainly did.

Additionally, I felt a concerned tap on my lower knee which wasn't helping to any degree.

"Sir! Are you lost?" a voice asked.

...

I paid no attention and kept walking down the city strip. A few steps later, the wet tear on my lower cheek finally dried up. I lightly slapped myself in the face to kick-start the chase back up again and I decided to return to the task at hand. No more emotional breakdowns, no more feelings of regret. For now, my only concern was to catch this fleeing tiger and to help another animal in need. Yes, it's probably just a silly antique being stolen but it's the whole principle of it that matters. Sometimes, even doing small things can make a big difference.

Strolling along, I kept an eye open for any striped figure, until I came to a four-way intersection. Animals consistently gave me the Frankenstein look for a good reason but I had to keep waltzing forward to avoid suspicion. Squirrels, badgers, skunks, otters, you name it, all moved to the side to allow me free passage on the narrowing sidewalk. Some froze in place, either in fear or fright, others took our their phones, either out of curiosity or wonder, but I simply stepped over them and pretended that they weren't even there. If I moved fast enough, then I'd be nothing more than a blurry rendering on any device. That was the plan.

Aside from the modern clothes and technology, I kept getting these Snow White vibes from all these little talking animals around me; thus, I decided to leave out the part where I sing a random, unscripted song about wishes coming true. The only wish I had was to find this tiger.

Moments later, herds and flocks of animals, such as wildebeests, sheep, and ram, were gathering to use the crosswalks so I stood on the corner with them to wait for the next signal. Aside from the apparel, all these animals looked exactly the same to me which gave off a false impression that they were clones of each other. However, they all had different voices and did their own thing so they had some individual aspect of uniqueness. The red traffic signal was taking longer than expected to change and I heard many nearby comments behind my back.

...

"What IS he?"

"Which part of Tundratown did he _thaw_ from?"

"Leave him alone! He's just a polar bear for crying out loud."

"But why does he look so different? And creepy?"

"Meh, he just born dat way."

"Pretty weird, if you ask me." 

"SHH! He'll hear you!"

...

I heeded them not, the red paw crosswalk symbol changed to a walking figure, but it had the outline of an animal instead of a human. Regardless, it meant the same thing so I crossed the zebra-stripe-painted street section alongside the hurried herds and finally made it over without any further interruptions from the oddly-shaped Zootopian cars.

One block later, a grand art museum came into full view. It had a wavy skeletal design similar to those found in the Rio Olympics except that this one was built to last as opposed to the ones found on Earth. Not only was it much wider in size but it also had a beautiful garden display around the outer perimeter with a handful of bronze animal statues positioned like temple soldiers. It didn't seem to be open today but plenty of animals roamed its grounds to enjoy the natural features it had to offer, especially the waterpark over on the far side.

At the corner of my eye, I saw the eye of a tiger glaring directly at me. He, among a couple of other tigers, was casually strolling along the food stands that were positioned on the opposite roadside of the museum. After closer inspection, there was not one, not two, not three, nor four, but five tigers in total! Good golly, they were huge! Was the suspect among them? Was he trying to blend in?

I carefully moved in towards them, trying to be as stealthy as possible but that clearly wasn't working out due to the metallic clanking sound of my boots hitting the solid pavement. In attempts to suppress the sound further, I avoided walking on my heels which seemed to fractionally reduce the noise.

Alright, how was I going to do this? I positioned my body behind a bus stop with a Mad Yax movie poster and stood only a couple of feet away from them. Wouldn't the crook be running by now if I were this close? Perhaps he isn't in this group.

I peaked around and saw that all five of the tigers had briefcases. All of them. However, they weren't carrying black briefcases but rather small brown leather suitcases. They stood at an incredibly tall height, had good posture, had a strong build, and wore fancy collared shirts with quality pants that resembled the ones from the Banana Republic. Okay, wrong group. The last thing I wanted to do was randomly come out and question them because they all could've easily gained up on me. That there would've been a terrible way to make headlines on a foreign planet.

Nevertheless, they seemed like a nice group of tigers, they were charming for the ladies, confident, strong, and had an uplifting conversation with each other. My concerns surrounding them dwindled so I decided to look elsewhere.

Unexpectedly, I heard a sudden arguing. That's too bad because they really seemed to get along just fine for a moment there. I didn't think much of it and attempted to walk away but the conversation started to get more and more escalated. What was going on?

I returned back, stood behind a lush sidewalk tree, and listened to them without looking.

"Randy! You can't do this!"

"How else am I supposed to pull through!?" 

"By not stealing! Take it back! Now!"

"Forget it!"

Bingo! I thought to myself. I couldn't catch the entire conversation but I heard a familiar name in there. Randy, was it? I remembered hearing the name Andy in the plaza but I was 80% sure it was him. It had to be the same tiger. I peaked around and saw the same group of dressed tigers standing together while watching one of them storm off. That was Andy alright.

But where was the black briefcase?

Turns out, he had it firmly tucked under his big bicep so no wonder I couldn't see it before. Those other tigers must've been his more successful friends because it sounded like they were heavily displeased with Andy's criminal activities and chose to dismiss him. Good, I'm glad they weren't all crooks because I really didn't want to take on all five of them. Otherwise, I would've likely been all covered in stripes as well. In my case, red and white stripes like a candy cane.

I moved away from the bushy tree and decided to seize the opportunity to take down the tiger. He was already down the block a bit but I had him in my sights. Awkwardly, I casually walked past the group of dressed tigers who appeared to be calling out on their cellphones. On the move, I gave them a cautious glance and they returned the same thing except with a small hint of perplexity.

No time to waste, I wanted to show this tiger the consequences of living a low life. My walking became a stride, then a jog, then it finally transitioned into a full-on sprint. I was after him and he quickly took note, rolled his eyes, punched a mailbox in frustration, and began to flee down the pedway like a frightened kitten. This cat sure had a temper issue.

"Stop!" I yelled.

"Make me!" he mocked.

He desperately pushed his way through crowds upon crowds of animals that were just exiting a movie theater and he caused a few of them to tumble over. A poor family of otters had their drinks spilled, a male gopher lost his entire bucket of popcorn, a snow leopard couple got paw-pelted in the face, and two kangaroos were harshly pushed over and fell into a group of sloths.

Good grief, what's this tiger's problem? A silly little artifact wasn't worth the trouble! Someone or something was about to get hurt if he didn't stop. I swear, if this chase didn't end any time soon then I'd be getting Tiger's Blood as my next smoothie flavor that's freshly extracted from his irritating corpse.

Speaking of blood, we passed a large and spacious Zootopian hospital in which a couple of nurses were appearing to be heading out for lunch break. Many of them dodged the vicious tiger hastily coming through but he decided to take a sharp left turn and cross another busy street once more. For the love of Pete, why couldn't he just stick to the alleyway? There he goes again.

There were two small female sheep nurses standing near the curbside. One had black wool, pink muzzle, and blue eyes while the other one had fluffy white wool, red glasses, and green eyes. The cowardly tiger plowed straight through them, knocked both of them over like a bunch of bowling pins, then he ran away without apology. The black sheep laid flat on her back at the curbside edge but the white sheep had toppled over onto the busy street. Time was running out, the tiger was getting away, but an elephant-sized semi-truck was rapidly approaching and about to run her over. 

"Oh, muttonchops." she cried while remaining frozen in helplessness.

Without delay, I jumped over to the vulnerable sheep's side and held out my gauntlet for the screeching vehicle to stop. The horn was blaring, the breaks were slammed, but it was almost too late.

...

Upon loud impact, the entire front grill was completely smashed inward, smoke escaped from the thick engine, and the truck had come to a complete stop. My body absorbed most of the impact, I was actually okay for the most part, my body hardly moved, and the little sheep was successfully protected. However, I think my wrist was sprained and the truck got totaled.

"Oh, oh my, oh dear!" she gasped, cowering at what had just happened. The grizzly bear driver exited the vehicle and felt shocked at what he almost did, placing both paws over his mouth.

I helped the little sheep stand up. "You alright ma'am?" I hurriedly asked. 

"You...you saved me." she expressed in gratitude, not knowing what else to say.

"Glad to help" I replied, making sure she had no critical injuries. Her medical badge read as _Shawna B. w_ hereas the black sheep's badge read as _Sharla_ but there was no time to waste. The tiger was already across the street and wasn't coming back to repent. He shook his head in mere disapproval then took off once more. I stood up in place to put an end to this havoc. "Gotta go." 

"Sir? But...but sir?" she called.

There was no time to explain myself. I breezed through the rows of incoming traffic, the shattered truck headlight glass flickered off my suit, and I was on the move again. The tiger turned a brick corner, shoved his way through an old moose handing out _Zootopia Times_ newspapers that flung everywhere, and climbed his way up a flight of iron stairs. I had desires to assist the moose but his apparent misfortune wasn't crucial enough; hopefully, someone else would assist him.

I made my way up the stairwell, there were about three flights going up to who knows where, but they must've led to a skytrain platform, judging the looks of the adorned iron frame finish. Just when I reached the top, I looked left, saw no one. Then, I looked right then a large striped paw instantly came into view and smacked me directly in the face with full force.

The sudden impact caused me to fall backward, tumble down the stairway, roll through a series of painful somersaults, then flatten out on my sore back.

_Jeez, that definitely hurt!_

That was going to leave a mark! My suit always endured well in rough situations but a soldier often forgets that the human body is still fragile on the inside. Come to think of it, I've been having quite a bit of head trauma lately. I felt the deep claw marks across my mask but the displaced nanoparticles quickly repositioned themselves back to fill in the gaps.

Gradually recovering from what came to pass, I peered upward at the top of the stairs and vaguely saw the same striped figure proudly brushing off his paws in satisfaction.

"How do you like that? FREAK! Maybe you'll think THRICE before messing with me!"

I painstakingly stood up in place, using the rail to provide balance, popped my back a few times, then folded my arms in place. This seemed to surprise the tiger a bit but he continued to roll his eyes at me as if my efforts to catch him were completely futile. He was really getting on my nerves now.

"Yeah, you keep rolling your eyes," I commented. "Maybe you'll find a brain back there."

He snarled in aggression, giving me a hateful glare while attempting to make himself appear more intimidating. "Whatever you are, LEAVE me alone!" he growled with a warning. "You don't know what I'm going through!" "Nor do I care. Surrender the case."

"Never!"

He picked up the case then fled once more. What a coward. There's no way we'd end on that kind of note so it was time to put an end to this. Yes, I've been telling myself that ever since the chase started but now I felt more than determined to finish the job. The stairway felt painful to ascend again but I ignored the pain and pressed onward. I remembered the tiger disappearing to the right so I took that path and followed it down the iron walkway.

The pathway curved upward, converted into an overpass, crossed the busy highway, then gradually curved downward into a series of apartment building rooftops. At the end of the walkway, there was an apparent dead-end that had an old elevator that was out of service. The doors were made of solid-looking steel so there's no chance that the brawny tiger could've pried his way through those double doors. Crap! I lost him again!

I peeked over the banister in one direction, saw nothing, so I peeked over the other side of the banister. Still nothing. I felt a deep sense of defeat for I was so close to catching him. Too close, in fact, until he conveniently planned an ambush on me to take advantage of the high ground. There was nothing else to do here except look pathetic so it was time for me to go.

Out of nowhere, I heard a loud clanking sound. I turned my head as fast as a serpent and peaked over the same banister. There he was!

He walked along the apartment rooftops, using the fashion clothing billboards as cover, but he accidentally grazed his shoulder on one of the blunt edges. Thus, he unintentionally gave up his position. _Perfect!_ Back in business again.

I mantled myself over the edge of the banister, dropped down about twenty feet, and landed upright on a rooftop porch. My boots cracked the red tiles of a rooftop porch but I didn't care at this point. I hopped roof to roof, apartment complex to apartment complex until I came closer to the desperate tiger. He too continued to maneuver his way through the rooftops while keeping a tight pawed grip on the briefcase's handle to avoid dropping it.

He almost couldn't believe it but I was right above him. The moment he saw my looming shadow getting bigger, he threw up his paws in severe frustration.

"You GOTTA be kidding me!" he groaned.

"Give it to me," I said with a stern tone.

"NO!"

We continued on with the rooftop chase, crossed over from one area to the next, walking across wooden planks, breezing through metal catwalks, fumbling through colorful clotheslines, dodging clusters of satellite/movie antennas, sliding down sandstone shingles, and carefully striding through the rooftop vegetable gardens. There was a piglet couple casually watering their tomato plants but they cried out in fear and vanished into their miniature rooftop greenhouse upon the sight of a vicious striped tiger being chased away.

He leaped onto the next building, never showing any signs of fatigue, and consistently kept fleeing as much as he could. I wasn't so sure how much more energy I could muster but I had to toughen myself up.

We both came to the edge of the apartment building rooftops then the tiger, all of a sudden, stopped in place. He was stuck.

No other rooftop in sight that he could possibly jump to. Splendid! He frantically looked around for an alternative route but the odds weren't so much in his favor anymore. He gave me a panicked look, tried to think of what he could do, but there was nothing he could do.

I caught up to him, jumped up on the same roof he stood on, slowly stood up in a confident manner, and took a step towards him. There was a moment of silence between us both so I figured it was time to end this peacefully.

I lifted my arm, opened my hand with the palm facing up, and gestured him to hand over the case. He considered doing it, hesitated, reconsidered, then did what I regrettably knew he was going to do.

He smiled slyly, tossed the briefcase over the six-story ledge, and slowly backed up towards the edge. What was he thinking? Committing suicide? No, he had something else in mind.

Instead, he jumped back, twisted his hip around the ledge, gripped the vertical rain pipe tubing, and slid his way down the building as if it were a fireman's pole. I peaked over the edge and watched his brave performance escape before my eyes.

No way he's getting away from me. Time to end this. I too jumped over the edge.

However, I was failing to grip the rain pipe, failing to gracefully twist myself, and epically began plummeting down to the Earth. Nevertheless, despite the situation being less than ideal, I had my contingencies.

Before hitting the ground, I punched my fist into the side of the building, tearing through layers upon layers of brick, which slowed down my descent so that I could safely land upright. The building had a large strip of exterior damage but it was none of my concern.

We were now back down to street level, just like before, only this time, we were surrounded by apartment buildings of all shapes and sizes. Very few animals were out and about and thank goodness they weren't around because this scene wasn't going to be the most family-friendly.

The tiger thought he could nimbly escape from me but he only fooled himself. He saw what had happened, became spooked, and froze in place after picking up the briefcase. I shrugged my shoulders, brushed the brick powder off my gauntlets, and took big steps towards him.

He furrowed his eyebrows, put himself into a running stance, and, without warning, aggressively lunged straight at me.

Surprisingly, he landed a successful tackle on me, took me down, clawed my mask a couple of times, and began slicing at my chest plate. He was fast, he was ruthless, he was unwavering, and he had me pinned.

...

"You're going to REGRET THIS!" he roared, while continuously trying to mutilate me.

...

Nevertheless, he couldn't hurt me. He thought he was so I pretended to groan in pain to mess around with him. If mankind did something right, then it had to be these nanoparticle suits because they were quite the lifesaver.

Regrettably though, as with everything, they had their limitations. If I allowed this violent tiger to slice at me for too long, then the nanoparticles wouldn't have enough time to fill in the displaced scratch gaps. Thus, I had to get him off of me, or else he'd eventually get down to the skin.

Wasting no further time, he resorted to punching me so I held out my hand, caught his large fist in mid-air, then squeezed it tightly. 

"Impressive," I commented, before kicking him away from me, causing him to fly a couple of feet and crash into a street pole. 

"Argh!" he growled as he stood back up. I too stood up in place and repositioned myself in case he decided to lunge at me again.

At this moment, it felt like being in a one-on-one duel of some sort, similar to that of Mortal Kombat. I wasn't sure what his health bar level was but there's no way it'd be higher than mine. No, not a chance.

"Give it. To me!" I commanded.

"HA! Or what?" he mocked with laughter. 

"I will not ask a second time."

I slowly walked towards him but he cautiously backed away from me while tightly gripping the suitcase with his paws. My hope was to ensure he either had fear or respect towards me but he demonstrated none of the above, which, quite frankly, was beyond frustrating.

Based on his facial expressions, he still had a preservable amount of confidence in him and continued looking for an alternate escape route. He could either go left, right or straight back behind him which only led to a dark alleyway that appeared to have no outlet whatsoever. Alternatively, he could be a fool and try to go straight through me which is exactly what he was thinking of doing. Seriously?

He looked both ways again, smiled with his big chompers revealed, and showing no sign of fear. For some reason, I felt a slight hint of fear because, after all we've been through, I had a feeling that he'd pull out a UNO card or do some deceitful trick. Would I get gained up on? Was this a setup? Were his buddies positioned to take me? The very thought of it scared me because five tigers could eventually claw their way through my armor until they hit flesh.

Notwithstanding any further, I took a deep breath, moved one step backward, and anxiously checked my surroundings. All I saw were dark buildings, shut blinds, and nothing else.

The tiger sensed fear in me, he smiled in satisfaction and did the unexpected.

...

He picked up a nearby steel crowbar, propped it up into a swinging position, and prepared to go after me. His grin was as horrifying as the Cheshire Cat, his conviction was strong, and he immediately lunged after me.

...

Not this time. I did what I should've done a long time ago.

"OH, JEEEZ!" he exclaimed, falling over in immense fear.

...

In both gauntlet hands, I had my twin nano-phaser pistols pointing directly at the tiger's head. One more step and he'd be dead.

I just about had it with this pathetic tiger. Sometimes, a deadly display of force was the only way to get some respect these days, especially in my universe.

He began crawling backward, his eyes fixated in fear, and I forced him back into the dark alleyway where he'd have no more chance of escape. We moved thirty-seven feet inward, as far as we could, until the scared tiger's back tapped into a dumpster, which marked the end of the alleyway. I kept my pistols firmly aimed at him and enjoyed this dominating moment that mankind had always relished.

"Stay where you are!" I ordered.

The tiger had absolutely nothing to say, fear-filled his once-proud eyes, and he quickly realized that he had messed with the wrong creature. Nothing would please me more than to shoot him. After all, crooks of his type were subject to execution back in my day.

With such trying times in our world, we had zero tolerance for this kind of ratty behavior. Nevertheless, I somehow resisted the urge to fire.

He continued sitting there in a state of panic, not knowing what to do or how to proceed. Instinctively, he reached for the briefcase to secure it but I aggressively stomped my boot on the ground.

"Halt!" I commanded, causing him to freeze in place.

I collapsed one pistol back into my suit, keeping the other one pointed at the tiger, bent over, and picked up the black briefcase. I

unzipped it, pried it open, and pulled out the so-called 'artifact' or 'antique' to see what this was all about.

...

Apparently, it was only a necklace. Seriously? That's what he stole? I expressed great dismissal at the worthless-looking object until I realized just how shiny it was. It consisted of finely engraved twenty-four karat gold, sparkling white diamonds, finely crafted loops, and a paw-shaped red diamond. A bit of a silly design, to be completely honest, but it had real weight to it and I could easily tell that it had extreme value to it. Yes, it was one hundred percent real and authentic.

I carefully rested the necklace atop the leather suitcase, deployed my other pistol, and kept both pointed at the tiger's head. After all the trouble he'd caused today, not to mention the animal that almost got killed, I tried to decide on what to do with him.

"Please, PLEASE don't!" he begged in horror, cowering in his arms.

The amount of fear and hopelessness that filled his eyes made me smile greatly. Only now, did he finally understand, the consequences of his regrettable actions.

I primed the pistols, charged them up, and prepared to stun the light out of him. However, something didn't feel right. Wait a minute, what was I thinking?

This wasn't the way. I thought back on those previous simulations. All those decisions I made, the ones I thought were completely justified, by all means, only to find that they lacked mercy. But why mercy though? Why not stick with only justice? None of my enemies showed me mercy so why then should I show it?

Because I was wrong. In fact, I did beg for mercy once. A couple of days before our world collapsed, the Seraphim stormed our lab, killed all the staff, which left only me and my few men standing. I remembered that day vividly. They fiercely pointed those chemrail guns at our heads and could've easily finished us off right then and there.

However, they chose not to.

They could've but they didn't. We begged for our lives and they gave it to us. Not because we begged but because they didn't care. They already gave us a glimpse of their power, including the devastation that their kind could unleash upon us, so they already sent us the message. Thus, we weren't worth their time anymore.

Among humans, the Seraphim were superior, my men were typical, but I was inferior. That's how I always felt and that's how It always has been. However, my world was no more. Everyone was gone and now, the mantle of responsibility rested on my shoulders. Judy was right, I had to set a good example in this world.

I lowered my pistols, pointed them towards the ground, collapsed them back into my suit, then took a step backward. The tiger already got the message from me so I had to show some mercy and allow justice to come for him later. After all, I secured the antique necklace, caught the brawny tiger, and prevented other innocent animals from getting hurt.

In short, the situation was now under control.

...

That is, I thought it was.

...

Within seconds, the entire dark alley lit up with a white light that glowed so bright that it felt like midday. It came from behind me, illuminating everything that wasn't covered by my overcasting shadow. I kept my body forward, with my back against the bright light, and wondered where in the world it came from.

I knew it likely came from the alleyway entrance but I couldn't tell what source it was exactly. I kept my eyes forward, fixed on the tiger in front of me, to make sure he wasn't playing any escape tricks.

The bright light finally dimmed a bit but the whole area then converted into flashing blue and red lights that flickered back and forth from behind. Obviously, I knew who it was.

The Police.

I heard the opening of a car door followed by the loud sound of thunderous footsteps stomping towards us before stopping a few feet away. The brightness on the back wall gave off an imposing shadow silhouette of what appeared to be a bulky rhino figure. Great, this can't be good.

There were at least two of them, maybe more along the way. From what I could hear, it sounded like they had their weapons drawn out.

"Alright buddy, turn around with your _paws_ up!" one of them commanded me.

I slowly turned around but all I saw was a red fox in a cop uniform.


	23. In the Nick of Time

Yep, I saw a fox.

He was a slender looking fox covered in red fur with a cream underbelly up to his muzzle. He had dark auburn fur on his feet, his hands, the tips of his ears, and at the tip of his tail. The fox's eyes were a forest green color and his nose was a dark-purple color.

On his body, he wore a dark blue police uniform with a black tie, a badge, a ZPD patch, a standard utility belt, and aviator shades, resembling the ones from Top Gun, resting on his chest pocket.

The other officer behind him, of course, was a large rhino with gray skin, brown eyes, blue police uniform, black utility belt, black-plated body armor, and a stoic-looking personality; hence, the shadow silhouette I saw earlier.

Not two rhinos as I previously predicted. Only one.

He positioned himself sideways, one leg forward, his horn directed at me as if he were waiting to charge. Even with years of intense rugby practice, I don't think I had the ability to dodge an incoming rhino tackle, especially when trapped at the end of a dark alley. The rhino easily towered over me by at least 1.5 feet but he still remained cautious upon seeing me turn around fully.

I looked back down at the red fox in front of me who kept his tranquilizer gun in the paw, ready and aimed at my chest. Despite my towering build, he didn't seem to care. What surprised me the most wasn't necessarily his size but rather the amount of overconfidence he seemed to possess. Instead of being shocked at my appearance and backing up like most creatures would do here, he maintained himself quite well and took another step forward.

Granted, he did raise an eyebrow but he only ended up smirking and tilting his head to the side in curiosity. Did this fox really think he could take me? The rhino should've been the one upfront, leading the arrest, but the red-furred creature took the brave initiative. I couldn't help but shake my head in both confusion and admiration at him.

"Well, well, I've never seen you before," the fox said while tilting his head to get a better view of me. "Either way, I'm gonna have to place you under arrest." 

I discreetly scoffed at his small size for I wouldn't allow myself to be arrested by this cunning little animal. All he had was a dart pistol that wasn't even semi-auto so there was nothing for me to fear. Besides, as far as I was concerned, I stole nothing so I peeked over my shoulder to spot the tiger suspect who still sat on the ground with his back leaned against the dumpster bin.

"You're out of line, fox. The suspect is right there." I pointed back at the tiger behind me.

I decided to keep my hands mid-way up for the sake of compliance which seemed to please the officer. However, none of the two officers would dare let their guard down.

With the tranquilizer pistol still aimed at me, the fox gave a sly gaze, peaked around me to see the tiger, then turned to his rhino partner and signaled him over with his paw. The rhino approached us, the fox gave him a subtle nod, which was a cue for him to go over and arrest the tiger.

"Careful Wilde," the rhino warned, suspiciously glancing at me while taking stomping steps towards the tiger. "Never seen any suspect like him before."

The fox simply looked me over in curiosity then casually shrugged. "At ease McHorn, I got this."

With one paw holding the tranquilizer pistol at me, he used the other paw to reach for his utility belt near the radio. "Wilde to Dispatch, we've found both suspects from precinct 2, over." 

_"Copy that. Dispatch to Wilde, out"_ the static voice said.

He switched off the radio then transitioned both paws back onto his pistol. "Alright, on your knees, buddy.

Wait, was this fox being serious right now? Did he really have the audacity to give me orders? Apparently so. I simply stood there with my hands partway up and said nothing. However, he kept his toy-like pistol aimed at my chest as if it'd have any practical effect so I decided to test him a bit.

"By what authority?" I challenged.

"On behalf of the ZPD and by the laws of the city of Zootopia in which I safeguard, of course."

Instinctively, I responded, "And in the name of the Intergalactic Stratocracy, I exhort you to withdraw."

The next thing I nearly did was draw out one of my nano pistols until I remembered how outdated my authority actually was. Thus, I restrained myself from showing my power due to not having one anymore. Last time I ever used it was probably back at the teleporter lab while I stood outside to guard it against the insurgents. Back then, we had both power and authority but not anymore.

The little fox didn't know what to think of it so he tilted his head at me and snickered, "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Truthfully, I had no idea anymore.

"Nevermind," I concluded.

He paused for a brief moment before he came back to focus, "Hmm, that's what I thought." he uttered with a smile, "Now, on your knees, slowly."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Oh, well, let's see... " he replied in a condescending tone. "We've received multiple eye witness reports of damage to property and public disturbance from a mammal sighted to be a male white wolf with a brown blanket tied around his neck so..." he paused with a small chuckle. "...it looks like you're one of our prime suspects."

"Watch out! He's armed! I SAW it!" the handcuffed tiger called out from the side while the rhino escorted him to the police cruiser, carrying the briefcase under his arm. All I could do was give that striped cat a stern glare for all the trouble he's caused me today.

"...and then there's that" the fox grinned, lifting his eyebrow. "Sound about right?" 

I shook my head. "I don't take your meaning, fox."

"Well, it _means_ you can do some explaining at the station." he folded his arms. "If that's how it's gonna be."

"Seriously?"

"That's right," he smirked. "See the badge?"

"But I caught Mr. Tigger so you're welcome" I defended. "It's called a citizen's arrest. Ever heard of it?" 

"Right, I take it you're a citizen then?" he asked, placing his paws on his hips.

"Well--."

"Do you have your I.D. card with you? It's also known as identification. Ever heard of that?"

"Yes, but--"

"Let's see it then. I'm curious about who I should be giving an 'imaginary' golden star to." 

"Listen fox, I don't have time for--"

"And didn't our tiger say you were armed?" he grinned.

I shook my head. "Nonsense."

"Is that so?" he said while examining me from head to toe. "Can't say I'm convinced." 

"Officer Wilde." the rhino officer called from the cruiser.

"What is it, bighorn?" the young fox asked, maintaining his focus on me with half-lidded eyes. I looked over to see the rhino officer carrying some kind of electronic tablet.

"I pulled the traffic cam footage for this area and the tiger's claim is accurate. Our white wolf suspect here was indeed armed. Though... I don't know with what exactly... never seen anything like it before."

"Well, what do you know?" the fox commented. "Gotta love those jam cams, right?"

"Crud," I muttered under my breath. I never considered this city having a decent enough surveillance system for it never crossed my mind. Rookie move on my part.

"Hmm. And I will betcha you don't have a police permit either, hmm? Darn it. It's a bummer." the fox crossed his arms.

In my universe, I lawfully operated beyond the jurisdiction of foreign intraplanetary governments so a permit was only a rubbish piece of parchment in my eyes. These animals wouldn't get it so I temptingly reached for my hip but froze in place upon getting a distinct impression. For a policial confrontation on this unknown world, it'd be wiser to keep the element of surprise.

"I say we search him." the rhino suggested, noticing my suspicious stance. 

"Care to do the honors, McHorn?"

He shook his head. "Go right ahead." he gestured to the fox.

"All over it." the fox replied, putting his pistol away, and approaching me. "Let's see what kind of hidden contraptions you got."

"Stop," I warned, taking a step back.

The fox heeded me not and resumed palpating my sides to check for any weapon. With condensable nanotech particles, little did he know, he'd never find anything. What a fool.

"No long fur, no soft skin, just... wow, isn't this interesting." the fox observed "Hmm, I do see a tail here. Doesn't look natural but hey, that's just me." he pulled on it a couple of times, shook it, but nothing fell out. "So, what are you exactly? Some kind of albino mammal with a skin condition?"

I yanked my tail out of his grasp. "Enough" I muttered.

He wouldn't listen. Like a TSA agent, he thought I had a weapon hidden somewhere but his ignorance would prove him otherwise. However, his ignorance was really getting on my nerves for he started treating me like some kind of eccentric sculpture. He walked laps around my body, observed, felt for a weapon, but couldn't find anything. He tapped my boots, my knee, my chest, my forearm, but there was nothing.

"I gotta say, you're one strange-looking animal," he noted. "I've seen my fair share but you definitely make my list of top ten." 

"Charmed," I grumbled.

He made another lap around me, the rhino shined a flashlight on me for a better view, and the fox grabbed the edge of my cloak.

"Nice cape, by the way." the fox commented. "Hmm. So, you forget to hang the towel dry after your morning shower? Quite a fashion statement, I must say."

"Very funny," I objected, pulling the cloak away.

"Well," he thought "I don't see any weapons on him. No tranquilizers, no darts, no potato gun, nada." 

"In that case... good day, officer." I waved, preparing to march away.

However, the fox stepped in front and held up his paw. "Woah there, big guy. Not so fast." 

"What now?"

"You really think a sly fox like me is dumb enough to just let you prance off?"

"Yes."

He laughed. "Sorry buddy, I'm taking you in."

"Not going to happen."

"Traffic cams don't lie, do they?" he mused. "Y'know, a naive crook like you should've done a better job at hiding evidence."

"I don't have time for this," I argued, making my way past the fox and heading out of the alley. Not surprisingly, the large rhino moved in front of me, gave me a sharp glare of intimidation, and blocked my exit.

"Stand aside," I ordered, but I was only met with an aggressive snort from the horned animal who stood over me. He had no idea who or what I was but his height gave him enough false confidence that he thought that he could take me down. "Very well," I continued, reaching for my hip. "So be it."

Sometimes you just have to give in to the temptation to prove a point. In this case, I wished to show them my authority through technologically superior firepower.

As soon as I felt the nanoparticles start to form a weapon in my hand, the process was then interrupted as I immediately felt a sharp zapping pain throughout my entire upper body. It caused me to cringe, tighten, wince, and plop down hard on my knees.

"Argh!" I yelped, trying to regain a sudden loss of energy. I attempted to stand up straight but my arms were completely limp and unable to move properly. As I turned my head about to see what exactly came to pass, I heard a metallic clicking sound that locked my gauntlets together.

"Ha, you _would_ try!" the fox quipped at me from behind, holding an electric taser in his paw. But how? How in the world? Did he just jump up and climb when my back was turned? He must've gone for the neck where my armor was the thinnest and vulnerable. Did the nanoparticles not form a fully sealed neck layer? I had no idea. Turns out, the fox stood atop my forearms that were cuffed together behind my back. "Not so tough now, are you?" he remarked.

Good grief, who was this fox? Who did he think he was?

I tried to break free from the handcuffs but my energy levels were literally zapped away, I felt embarrassingly powerless, dizzy, plus, the rhino already started pushing me towards the police cruiser with his ample hoof. As much as I wanted to fight back, I reluctantly gave in, not wanting to cause any more trouble than I already had.

"McHorn to Dispatch, both suspects are now in custody." the rhino radioed in. 

_"10-4, copy that."_

The fox jumped from my back, walked alongside us, and examined me from head to toe. "Can't wait to tell Chief who I caught today," he smirked.

The strapping rhino officer snorted and rolled his eyes at the fox, seemingly annoyed as I was. "Well, you helped... a little." the fox added.

Seriously though, I couldn't get over how cocky he was. Every instance that he touched me felt like an insult and boy that smirk, oh, that stupid little smirk he had, I wanted to grab him by the pointy ear and wipe that stupid smirk off his face. Out of all the animals they could've hired, why on Earth would they ever hire a mischievous fox?

Yes, I suppose he got me - by pulling a cheap move - but my focus at the time was on the rhino and not him. Had it been the fox, I would've easily swept him over to the side like a blade of grass. However, that's not what happened so I had to accept the fact that I was indeed outwitted by a sly fox. Yep, that's right, a silly little fox. Thank goodness my colleagues wouldn't get any word of this; although, the more I thought about it, the more I started to miss them.

After further escorting from both mammal officers and a 'Miranda Rights' recital from the horned pachyderm which I zoned out on, we finally made it over to where they've been wanting to place me. The police car was a large, somewhat blocky vehicle painted black, with a white zigzag on the side and a white top. The top of the roof was just a hair below the top height of my helmet and was definitely larger than most vehicles I've come across on this planet. Additionally, the vehicle seemed to be armored due to its thick appearance in various sites. It had a set of emergency lights affixed to the roof that were currently activated to shine between red and blue. The designation 'Z-240' could be seen on the side toward the front along with 'POLICE' on the same side toward the back.

Unlike the police vehicles found in my world, this one had old school wheels and tires with thick rubber treading. It didn't hover, it didn't fly, rather, it simply drove flat on the ground as a means of simple land transport. Now, it wasn't quite as fancy as the Lamborghini police cars found in Dubai on Earth-77, nor the Police Pelicans from New Mombasa, but I could definitely admit that it was up there with Jay's Zooyota Packrunner. In short, I greatly admired the cruiser and wished to admire it some more but I still felt a bit fuzzy from the taser.

The rhino stood directly behind me and the fox casually opened the back seat door. I let out a sigh as I caught glimpse of the tiger suspect sitting in the back, all cuffed up, and staring at me in the eyes. Did I really have to sit next to him? What a joke. Either way, the fox kindly, albeit, mockingly held the door open and gestured with his paw for me to enter.

"Hey stripes," the fox called out with a grin. "I brought you some company."

The tiger and I both looked at each other with utter contempt but we had no choice as the rhino officer gradually guided me to sit in the same back seat.

"Careful, big guy," the fox pestered as I ducked under the door frame. "You'd lose your head if it weren't attached to your neck."

"You talk too much." I glared as I sat myself down, trying to rest from the tazed effects.

"Hey, what can I say?" the fox officer shrugged. "It makes the shift go by faster."

Despite the high-quality synthetic leather seats, having a fluffy tail and hands behind my back didn't amount to a comfortable position. Plus, the tiger unwillingly sat beside me which made it all the more awkward. I should've been the one standing outside the cruiser and he should've been the only one inside of it. Feeling moderately defeated, I slumped myself forward, stared at the ground, then the passenger door closed.

The two officers sat in the front seats, the rhino as the passenger and the fox as the driver... wait, what? Time out. Was a fox really going to drive this thing? Goodness, he'd better not crash us. Last time I came across a fox in my world, all I saw was roadkill and I'd hate for all of us to follow that same fate.

The back seat cabin was like most police transports back at home. It felt small, cramped, and had a metal cage barrier; however, the seat wasn't a hard plastic and there weren't any mounted shotguns above the center console or any holograms. In fact, I only saw traditional radio equipment, a coffee cupholder, a GPS navigator screen, a couple of extra tranquilizer darts of various sizes, and no real firearms whatsoever.

Aside from tasers, did this society not have any real weapons? Just mild tranquilizer guns? To be honest, it felt too hard to believe. I came from a war-plagued world in which we were a heavily armed society that had lethal weapons strategically stored in every imaginable place to dispatch any form of opposition. Walls, under the bed, ceiling, drawers, cupboards, desks, prosthetic arms, military suits, crates, trench coats, and skulls were some of the most common places to store munitions. Surgically implemented optic lasers were among the most painful, disturbing, and yet powerful methods to dispose of threats but only a few could survive such an ungodly operation.

But this society, this Zootopian society, had none of those things. They accepted who they were, worked with what they had, and didn't attempt to evolve faster than they could run. No one was enhanced, no one was modified, and no one was artificially born. Everyone here had their naturally given organic body structure without all the gizmos and upgrades that would've made them into expendable militarized assets.

For example, the fox officer driving the car - while I didn't like him one bit - he admittedly had natural powers and abilities that we humans couldn't achieve without the aid of technology. His keen sense of smell and night vision was already given to him by mother nature which allowed him to keep that brilliant orange fur whereas a human with equivalent abilities would appear like a furless lab rat. Evidently, cybernetic modifications didn't care about looks unless one wished to pay triple the market price in an attempt to preserve the natural-born looks. Even then, without a strong guarantee, it was preferable to simply cover up the bodily imperfections with a military nano-suit. With our toxic air and unpredictable state of affairs, it became imperative to wear our armored body suits at all times which got to a point that they defined who we were and how we were destined to look.

As we were driving, I tiredly looked out the window to see organic Zootopian lifeforms walking the streets. They had soft fur, much like this world's friendly atmosphere, but I had hard armor, much like my world's hostile atmosphere. I gazed upon my reflection in the car window, pondering my armored appearance, and thinking back to times of war where we all stood together as one divisive unit on the frontline. We all wore the same uniform, we were all human, but we weren't on the same team.

In Zootopia everyone looked different, came from different species, and yet -- for the most part -- they were all on the same team. The rhino and the fox sat together in the cruiser, chatted about their favorite donut shop, and I saw a hippo and lion officer patrolling the entrance to the city hall just outside the cruiser window. All four of them waved to each other, cracked jokes, smiled, and carried on with their duty. Clearly, even in times of peace, they were one united police force.

In contrast, humans in my world almost never engaged in friendly conversations with each other because we were too focused on predicting when the world was going to end. Once in a while, we'd work together, albeit begrudgingly, but it all felt like every man for himself at the end of the day.

Here in Zootopia, they weren't at war with each other as Humanity once was. They were just a tranquil society that had, at best, tranquilizer guns to keep it that way if necessary. Shoot to kill was our way of eliminating threats but shoot to tranquilize was their way of controlling threats, as far as I could tell.

Surely they experienced crime here and there but nothing that would ever threaten their entire planet or their way of life. True, the Nighthowler crisis was an event that nearly tore this Zootopian society apart but it would never compare to the destructive events that took place on Earth-77. Why? Because in my universe, all these animals were dead. All of them were forever gone and never to come back again. Thus, the strongest and worst of humanity was left in charge of the dying planet and they stood above the valley of skulls.

But this world, the world of Zootopia, all these animals were alive. All of them were here to stay and they were the ones in control now. They were in charge. This was their planet, their world, their home, and their future.

At least, until I showed up on their doorstep. Would I be a big danger to them? While I had no inherently strong intention of causing harm, I felt doubtful in my ability to do so. After all, the fox officer easily managed to taze me to my knees; thus, proving my inability to carry out a typical 'alien invasion' that involves a demonstration of technological force.

I should've known what to do in that kind of situation but I failed miserably. Never had I been trained on fending off foxes but that never would've been an appropriate topic when the Seraphim was a more credible threat at the time. Either way, I let my guard down and my years of being a data scientist took a toll on me since I no longer operated as a full-time soldier.

For the next few minutes, the police cruiser hummed its way through the streets of Zootopia and, while a city bus would've been more preferable, at least the ride felt smooth and had scenic views along the way. The red furry officer took some street corners a bit roughly, merged into the fast lane multiple times out of swift impulse, briefly activated the sirens to amuse the youth on the streets, and revved up the large diesel engine at most stop signs.

The ride was in fact enjoyable, even if Mr. Starfox here had our lives in his paws. Apparently, the city had waterfalls coming out of skyscrapers, cafe balconies hanging over the busy streets, and plenty of brands that were both familiar and alien to me. We passed a large stone-cut building with a parlor at the bottom named Jumbeaux's Café with wide glass windows, an overly tall glass doorway with an ornate crimson design, and sizeable pillars in the shape of elephant legs. Next, we passed a brand new Snarlbucks Coffee joint that had just opened its doors and already had a long line of animals waiting to get a sip of some overpriced coffee. Some things never do change.

Later, after turning a corner and entering Baobab Ave, I quietly chuckled upon the sight of fat lemmings trying on tight leggings and posing like they were well-paid models. The circular corner store had the name Lululemmings posted on the outside in bright glowing letters but it wasn't a joke and it was a legit business. Seriously though? How impressive to find a city that caters to every animal's needs, big and small.

Speaking of which, over on the left, I beheld a brown spotted vehicle with a height exceeding that of the police cruiser we were in. The wheels were ridiculously small, the entire frame of the car resembled that of an ugly smart car, except that It was vertically stretched upward to accommodate the five tall giraffes sticking their long necks out the upper window just below the roof. On the side door, there was a logo that read, _ZUBER - Migration at your fingertips._

It must be a giant pain for a giraffe to go anywhere in this town. As much as I liked being tall, I'd much rather stay as a human, even if that meant being part of a stiff-necked species. Those poor giraffes must've gone through hell during physical therapy if any of them got involved in bodily injury below the head. Whether or not their suffering was just as bad as the women of the Kayan Lahwi tribe from Earth-77, I knew not.

At the end of the day, those giraffes appeared to be happy, drinking their coffee, and enjoying their life on the road. Even so, my neck still cringed at the thought of them hitting a traffic light, an overpass, or a street sign.

Also, leaning forward with my gauntlets and furry tail sandwiched between my back and the car seat didn't help at all with neck comfort. I felt stuck and unable to get into a comfortable position so I tried my best to turn the upper torso. Hopefully, this would relieve pressure from the tail and handcuffs propping against my spine.

Yet, the discomfort continued so I decided to muster all my leftover strength to break apart the handcuffs. After three tense pulls, the metallic manacles popped apart and my hands were now free. However, the thick metal rings surrounding my wrists were still intact but I chose to keep them attached. I didn't think I'd get this far but I somehow did it and I saw the tiger suspect take notice.

His eyes widened in surprise and I knew that he was going to tattle-tale on me. Preparing for the worst, I simply placed my palms under my head to sustain it and to take off the neck pressure that I was currently experiencing. It sure felt satisfying to actually rest my heavy head on something but it'd all soon be ruined by the tiger who had a habit of raising alarms.

Here we go, I thought. Now everyone's going to freak out that I freed myself from the restraints but I didn't get the reaction that I was expecting. No, not one bit. 

Instead, the fox and the rhino officer hadn't noticed anything suspicious and the tiger suspect alongside me didn't utter a single word. Instead, he inspected me in wonder, leaned in closer, then asked in a soft whisper, "What...What are you, exactly?"

I answered him not but I did appreciate his suddenly suppressed demeanor that'd allow me to relax for once. Thus, I did exactly that; I relaxed, placing my head into my palms, and allowing the car hum to gradually place me in a power nap.

While resting my eyes, a few things came to mind. The tiger still owed me an ice-cold drink for my troubles but his time in jail, or rather, our time in jail, would only bear forth water and scraps of bread. In that case, what were jails like in this world? Did they have laser gratings or metal gratings? Were they comfortable? Were the walls reinforced with steel, cement, or perhaps tungsten bricks? Who knows. I'm sure I could handle it so we'd have to wait and see.

But Judy? What about Judy? Boy, I nearly forgot about her. Did she already catch the hyena? I'm pretty sure she did but I hoped that she was doing okay. Knowing that she took down a fully grown bear at the plaza, I worried not about her chances.

So much had happened today that I couldn't keep up with all of it. New city, talking animals, a foxy cop, a striped crook, and riding in a police car were only a few of the many things that I could name off before my head started to throb.

Wherever we were going - Arkham Asylum, Alcatraz, Azkaban, or any other prison that started with the letter 'A', I had no idea.

Hopefully, Judy and her bunny partner Nick - if I remembered his name correctly - could bail me out of whichever place this crafty fox officer was taking me. Otherwise, if push became shove, then I'd do whatever it takes to avoid confinement because a human incarcerated by talking animals was too ironic for me to handle.


	24. El Zorro

After we had just passed Acacia Street, my helmet's HUD revealed a new unread message that was recently sent to my inbox. Wondering who it might've been, I selected the message and eagerly waited for it to load. It took longer than I thought but the message finally read as:

*******

_Hey Cherry, this is Jay Howl! Hope you're doing okay. How's your first day in Zootopia?_

*******

 _Seriously?_ I thought to myself.

Nonetheless, my mind rejoiced greatly upon knowing that he was the same black wolf I somehow befriended back in the Bunnyburrow forest despite my less-than-cordial initial greeting with him and his family. Luckily, that was all behind us and we were now on good terms.

It was nice to receive a message from him but I didn't know how to respond. How should I respond? Just tell him that I got arrested on my first day? For the sake of setting off a good impression, especially for the Howl family, I decided to hold off on responding until I felt like I was in a more stable situation.

Whatever happens, happens, I suppose. A human held in custody by animals, what could go wrong? What's the worst that could happen? I didn't think much of it until I turned my head to the left to see an elevated jumbo screen with a ZNN news-anchor logo at the bottom. A finely dressed male moose and female snow leopard were sharing their thoughts on screen surrounding what appeared to be the Zootopian secondary election results.

Who cares? Politics didn't matter to me. What I worried about was ending up on the news screen for the whole world to know. Oh, crud. Why did I come here? How was I going to do this? The cops already had me in their paws and it'd only be a matter of time before the full truth got out. However, I had to remain calm on this one because acting out of place would only make matters worse.

 _Just act natural_ , I figured. T'was the best thing I could ever do. Don't say too much, proudly wear that fluffy tail, pretend aliens don't exist, and don't do anything foolish. How hard could it be?

At least with this world, there were no vocal language barriers present. However, I began to consider bodily language cues such as howling, snorting, purring, growling, ear twitching, foot thumping, nose twitching, or tail swiping to name a few. All of which I couldn't express since my tail was fixed, my ears were false, and I didn't have a mouth nor nose. Thanks to my helmet, all of those options were unduly suppressed. Now, if I were to remove the helmet, would I be better off? Surely, I could smile, laugh, cry, and express stronger emotions but I didn't feel it being worth the risk.

For now, I'd stick with the helmet and keep it on at all times in public. It's respectable in appearance, sleek in design, aggressively shaped, and made me feel safe. If anyone asks, I'll just tell them that I have a rare medical condition. If they can't accept that answer, then all I could do was simply walk away and ignore. Plain and simple. It would only be a big deal if I made it a big deal.

Thus, my confidence was beaming brightly and I felt ready to take on whatever this strange world threw at me. Bring it on. I leaned forward and continued to rest my heavy-laden eyes.

...

"Oh my god!" the fox loudly gasped, slamming the cruiser brakes and causing my head to strike the back of his seat. "Is that Jerry Vole?"

...

 _That mindless vermin._ What was the matter with him? He eagerly stared out the window with that detestable smirk but the only creature of interest was a stout lemming with combed hair, a tuxedo, and a bow-tie. The poor creature seemed to be jumped at the red officer's fanaticism and he rapidly shook his head back and forth.

"My bad," the fox chuckled. "I just naturally assumed you were that one favorite slicked-back singer of mine."

The lemming's facial expression quickly transitioned from confused to flattered and said, "Oh, why, thank you Officer Wilde!"

"Don't mention it." he winked. "Way to work that hairdo, my friend!"

The lemming waved him goodbye, the fox rolled up the window, and the vehicle was back in motion again. As we passed a place called Little Rodentia, I carefully positioned myself in case he ever tried to pull off any more of those obnoxiously abrupt stops. Another reason to never trust a fox as your petty driver.

So his name was Officer Wilde then? Quite fitting for a fox. I saw it once on his golden name-tag and wondered where that silent 'e' came from. No matter, I didn't care. I just wanted to get this whole fiasco thing done and over with so that I could tend to more important matters, such as finding a way off this world.

I remembered saying that I was undecided but this little red vermin was making my decision to depart all the more feasible. If anyone were to mess it all up, then it'd be him. My neck continued to feel stressed due to the taser from earlier and I felt desirous that he should feel the same way.

Perhaps I could stun him? My hands were uncuffed, he sat right in front of me, his back was turned, and he wouldn't see it coming. Watching his red fur singe would've been a gratifying sight, to be sure; however, he was our driver so that idea quickly slipped from my mind.

We came to a stop at an intersection and he surprisingly didn't run a red light this time. While waiting for the signal to turn, he turned around and gazed at the two of us. He looked at the tiger first then he slowly panned his head towards me and gave a marveled look. Between those big green eyes and that sly smile of his, I could see a slight hint of evil in him. I made every attempt to stare him down but he seemed mostly unphased by my inexpressive blue helmet eyes.

Then, he announced with a foxy grin, "So sorry this is over. It's been a great ride but it's time to get you two perps checked in." The light turned green so he turned back around and immediately stepped on the gas pedal. The cruiser jerked forward, nearly causing me to thump my head again, but I thankfully braced myself on the seat.

We rode along a vast roadway containing multiple theaters, vibrant lights, colored glass displays, and an array of diverse tiendas filled with many walks of life. It all appeared so chaotic and yet harmoniously organized in a way that made me question how it all worked. Predators and prey walking together without any ire? Apparently, yes.

Everyone moved and lived so close together whereas they would've had to distance themselves and flee from each other to survive in my kind of world. Humans had so much in common, and yet, we struggled to get along. These animals, however, had so many differences, and yet, they seemed to thrive just fine.

Activity began to peak as we made an approach to a spacious plaza filled with twice as much sentient life forms compared to earlier today. It made me believe that we were in a new part of town but wasn't the case.

To my surprise, it was the same plaza as before. It had the water fountain park, the iron-antlered train station, city hall, and the wide cluster of jumbo screens. In other words, we were back to where the entire chase started which was Savanna Central. Same location but double the activity which caused us to drive slowly.

But why were we here? I questioned. An arrestee in my world would be taken to a military shuttle and then immediately shipped off into one of the orbital prison platforms in geosynchronous orbit about 35,700 kilometers above Earth-77 near the South Pole. From there, all the convicted were left behind to suffer from years of space radiation and being torn apart by zero gravity. No mercy, only harsh justice.

But in Zootopia? Not a chance. I saw no aerial vehicles of any sort and their technology was too many centuries behind to accommodate such a workflow. Plus, pulling a weapon on a tiger didn't seem heinous enough to merit an exaggerated punishment in the cold depths of space. If this society ever tried that with me, then they'd go completely bankrupt since they relied heavily on outdated power sources.

As much as I wished to go back to outer space - a would-be chance to get off this world - that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Instead, the police cruiser slowly weaved its way through a grand multitude of animals crossing through the plaza. With all the mice, rats, meerkats, and small prey scurrying about on the streets, I'd never trust myself, let alone a fox, to safely advance down the road without creating roadkill.

The fox was a careful driver in that regard, I'll give him that, but I detested that confident grin of his that he kept wearing under those shady aviators. Part of me wished that he'd run someone over or cause in accident, only for me to prove a point that he was faulty, but the only creature negatively affected by his driving was me. Humans, in general, found failure in others gratifying for it made them feel related to another common struggler as opposed to being the only struggler.

Back in the lab, my fellow colleagues seemed to do everything right, never missed a calculation, hardly had an emotional episode, and always strived to extend our societal lifespan. I was sometimes guilty of wanting to see them fail for they kept correcting my mistakes to a point that I questioned why they hired me in the first place. At the time, I was under-qualified, unfit, and better off being a soldier but the Seraphim organization took over as a new era of cybernetic troops began to march. My purpose back then was to protect life but they decided to put me on a team to help extend it by means of time travel.

Having such a small population might've been one contributing factor of getting me on the research team. However, I felt like it was something else... something that they never told me. Either way, it didn't matter. Despite my fallacies, I learned to appreciate my seven brothers and learned a great deal from them. They knew I was defective but most treated me like I could rise up above it and become something more. Unfortunately, as our relationship developed, our world came to its end so we had to part ways forever. Out of the most influential humans that could've survived, it had to be someone _insignificant_ like me? But why? Couldn't the universe have picked a better 'last human' to finish off the legacy? Better yet, couldn't we all have perished together and thusly ended everything right then and there? Verily, I say, no.

In that regard, here I was, in a police car being driven around like an insignificant human among a city of animals. None of my colleagues would've fallen for such unorthodoxy but I most certainly did. Perhaps my colleagues could've been bested by a Seraphim, a Sentinel, a Terminator, or a T-Rex on other worlds but I embarrassingly fell to a fox. If there is a hell, much of humanity is in it and they're looking up right now and they are laughing their rear ends off.

The fox happily peaked back at both of us then quickly turned to the rhino and said with a nod, "I think Chief's gonna be thrilled when he sees who we caught today."

"Why do you say that, Wilde?" replied the rhino, putting his phone away.

"Well, you ever seen anything like him?" the fox pointed at me.

The horned officer sternly glanced at me and shook his head, "Negative. Not in my twenty-three years of being here. And you?"

"Nada. Nothing like my former con days, unless you count that one marble statue I borrowed for a prank." the fox reflected.

The rhino lifted his eyebrows, "A statue?"

"That's right." he snickered. "You should've seen my buddy's face when he opened his back window at night! Oh, it was a ball! He never saw it coming and wouldn't talk to me for two weeks but it was worth it."

"So..." the rhino continued, stoically trying to hold in laughter and remain professional, "What kind of statue was it?"

"It think it was a naked grizzly bear... or maybe a polar bear. One of those two. But our exceptionally odd suspect here looks more like a talking wolf statue to me... a strangely carved one, that is."

"Whatever he is, I know chief will have plenty of questions for him."

The fox kept one paw on the steering wheel and pulled out his phone, "Can't wait to tell carrots about this!"

"Focus Wilde!" the rhino disapproved. "We're not supposed to be texting while driving."

"Oh, of course." the fox casually shrugged, continuing to text. "Gotta set a good example, you know." "Wilde." the horned officer warned with a no-nonsense frown.

"Okay, okay, I'm done, see?" the fox set his phone down, showing his empty paw. "As you can tell, I'm pretty well versed with multitasking."

I grew tired of listening to that pompous fox so I decided to lean forward and give him a piece of reality. "Listen here, fox."

"That's Officer Wilde to you, sir." 

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever,"

"That's right," he smirked.

"For the record, I let you arrest me,"

"Ha! Good to know." he jested. "Speaking of record, your criminal record won't be looking too hot today. I can promise you that."

I said nothing more, figuring it wasn't worth arguing with a fox. We finished rolling through the plaza until we came upon a grand spacious building that had a structural design unlike any other I've seen in real life. "Well, would you look at that." the fox announced. "We have arrived."

Standing behind a circular group of stone stairs and slanted ramp-ways was a pillared structure with orange as the primary color. Secondary to that were light cream colored patterns that formed horizontal stripes midway between each irregularly shaped pillar that were arranged in a semi-circular manner.

The main entrance was situated between the two thickest sandstone pillars and there were about seven diagonal pillars, the middle one being thickest of them all, protruding between each vertical pillar towards the rooftop, as if they formed the shape of a crown from the Statue of Liberty before it oxidized. Finally, between each vertical pillar were polarized glass panels and the main entrance had three flat roofs above it where the middle one contained silver metallic lettering on top that read 'POLICE' _._

Wait, so this police station was here in Savanna Central this whole time and I didn't notice it before? How blind of me...

The building had a remarkable design to it, not gonna lie. It reminded me of a visitor center found in Moab or Mars except for this one probably served an entirely different purpose that was outside of welcoming unauthorized visitors like me. If anything, it wouldn't be so welcoming if I ended up behind a high-intensity laser grid - or, in this case - behind steel bars.

My suit's advanced weaponry could most likely handle the tensile strength but it might require a considerable amount of effort. Perhaps an alternative route that doesn't require eardrum-shattering power would be more ideal if I actually knew how.

Unfortunately, I don't think Zootopia would have a guard dog with keys hanging from its mouth while waiting for a prisoner to bribe it with a bone. Nope, not like the movies.

The blue-uniformed red fox drove us eastward, passing the main entrance of the station, then he made a sharp left into a parking lot covered in a fresh layer of bitumen. Most of the spots were filled with identical police cruisers, except for their distinct unit numbers, and there were a couple of other vehicles that were either much smaller or slightly larger than the one we were currently in. I'm sorry, but the size ratio between this car and the fox was too high because he appeared like a small child driving it. I kept wondering how the heck he managed to reach the gas pedal for there's no way he'd be using wooden stilts.

Without delay, the fox found a perfectly situated parking spot corner between seven other police cruisers on both sides. He pulled in, powered off the car, and both him and the rhino exited the vehicle. I nearly opened my own door on instinct until I realized that it wasn't such a good idea. Instead, I kept my gauntlets behind my back and waited for them to unlatch the door.

Whatever happens, happens. My mind filled with a mixture of emotions, some fearful, some doubtful, while others were excited or even curious. I didn't know what to think of my current predicament, for it felt like preparing to jump off a cliff into the water. In a situation like that, one could feel tense or one could feel relaxed. Either or, it all depended on the mindset choice. For me, I kept bouncing between both ends of the metronome.

The tiger's door opened first and the rhino officer stood outside to receive him. My fellow striped passenger gave me a nervous glance then carefully exited the vehicle while squeezing his massive triceps through the car's door-frame. With his cuffed paws, it made his shoulders wider, awkward, and all the more difficult to maneuver through the exit.

His door closed shut then my door swung wide open. Turns out, it was the same smirky little wise-ass who was waiting to receive me. This could've made a great opportunity for me to push straight through him like I was playing a game of rugby and make a run for it. Nevertheless, I decided against it and allowed him to have his soon-to-be short-lived moment of undeserving glory.

Little did he know, I'd be the first human arrestee he's ever had which was a proud day for him but not so much for me. I felt embarrassed, to be sure, but I chose to go along with it. Let him have his fun for now until the right opportunity came.

"All right, time to go," the fox beckoned with a grin, "An affinity for police cars must be natural for you, especially with my expert driving, but I gotta check you in. Tips will have to wait."

I only shook my head and rolled my eyes. How awfully polite of him, I resented. Realizing I've been sitting there in the seat for the past seventeen seconds, I carefully scooted my way out the door and kept my freed hands positioned behind my back to give an illusion that I was still cuffed.

Standing up straight was a nice transition, I thought. The air felt more crisp and cool than before and we were getting closer and closer to the early evening as the sunlight strength began to wane away. Today appeared to be such a fine day to enjoy a free stroll around an exuberant city except that my impending imprisonment would keep me booted for a time.

As I stood next to the fox, I appreciated the fact that I was over twice his height where his head was right below my waist. The other two animals in our company - the tiger and the rhino - were a bit taller and likely possessed more raw strength than I did; but at least I had more than enough exterior protection to keep them at bay. Sometimes my best defense was a good offense.

My miniature red police escort humorously pushed me along down the parking lot and I generously permitted him to feel like he had complete control over me. The rhino and tiger followed us from behind then we made our way to the end of the black asphalt lot until we reached an elevated polished stone sidewalk.

The cream-colored surface looked smooth, well-cut, and consisted of neatly organized polygon tiles where some had four sides while others had up to five or six sides. All of them were uniquely shaped and yet they all fit together like a massive puzzle without any gaps, crevices, or imperfections.

Immediately, I began to notice that the transition from dark-colored soft asphalt to light-colored hard stone was awkward due to the sound of my alloy boots making hard contact with the flooring. Everyone else here had soft padded steps and quickly took note of me as we made our way to the main entrance. Sooner or later, I would definitely consider placing rubber absorption pads at the bottoms of my souls so that I didn't sound like a walking knight in shining armor even though I sometimes felt more like a dimwit in clanky tin foil.

We moved past a large group of twelve rams and sheep mixed with a couple of grey wolves - big and small - that had just exited the police building and they were slowing down to get a better look at who I was. Part of them must've thought I was some rare animal while the other part was trying to decide on what I was exactly. The wolf father instinctively picked up his wolf pup as a safety measure while the rest of the group carefully herded themselves away from me as if I were more than a dangerous wanted criminal.

Adjacent to us was a family of giraffes out on a stroll who caught a glimpse of me at the corner of their eyes. Like night and day, their inner-group laughter shortly transformed into silence thereafter. One of them pointed at me while the others bent over with their overly long necks to get a better visual on what creature the fox cop was escorting. I glared back at them to a point where they grew increasingly uncomfortable and galloped away. Why were so many animals scared of me, all of a sudden?

The fox looked behind us, shrugged, then patted my cuffed arms. "Well, well, looks like you're quite the center of attention around here." said the fox, "How does that feel?"

"Just get me inside," I muttered as my surroundings grew more uneasy with suspicious stares coming from horses, elephants, and jaguars to name a few.

The entire situation got further confusing and I couldn't make out the reason as to why everyone suddenly behaved this way. This never happened before when I first got here. I mean, everyone simply stared at me when I initially arrived here but they quickly tended back to their daily routine. However, this time around, all the mammal civilians outside the police station couldn't pull their eyes away from my presence, nor would they turn off their phone's flash. Desperate to avoid further public attention, I darted my way towards the pair of double glass entrance doors that were taller than the largest nearby pachyderm.

But they wouldn't budge.

As soon as I caught another phone's camera flash at the corner of my eye, I felt done for. I pushed the doors again but to no avail. They were locked from the inside, but why?

Oh, forget it.

Using my right shoulder and keeping my hands firmly glued to my back, I pushed the door open with such force that I heard a slight crack in the glass, and then I scurried inside. Anywhere was better than out there.

The somehow nonchalant officer followed right behind me, keeping a fox grip on my cuffed arms, and we were both inside the building. I couldn't see anything for all the lights were turned off and there wasn't a single soul in sight.

Something wasn't right. Did everyone already go home for the evening?

...

...

...

 **"SURPRISE!"** the entire lobby cheered ever so loudly like a series of surround speakers. Bright lights were turned on, colored confetti blew in all directions, balloons flew about, furry animals were everywhere, and a giant banner reading, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY OFFICER GRIZZOLI!' dangled from the upper balcony.

The wolves howled, the elephants trumpeted, the lions roared, and everyone else erupted in a glorified round of applause. Never had I seen a room filled with so much spirit that it felt like a Lion King party all over again.

But all this grand jubilation soon came to a grinding halt when one-by-one all the officer's eyes fell upon me to realize that I wasn't the mammal they were waiting for. No wonder the entrance was locked.

The entire lobby fell into a dead silence, a grand multitude of puzzling gazes shot my way, and hardly any mammal moved an inch.

"Aw hell," I blurted

On top of that, I felt an imbalance take over me. My tail was missing.


	25. An Old Bustle

Without that fluffy tail behind my back, I felt completely incongruous with my surroundings. In Zootopia, I imagine not having a tail could feel like my world's equivalent of not having your wallet, phone, keys, gun, or mask on you.

No wallet, no food.

No phone, no communication. No keys, no passage.

No gun, no protection. No mask, no breath. No tail, no dignity.

Rather, there's no fitting in.

Perhaps there was an animal officer in the room that didn't have a tail. Perhaps, someone, I could relate to? As far as I could tell, they all had tails. Everyone in the room had a tail except me.

Too many staring faces, all of them giving me awkward stage fright. _Not good._

Quite frankly, it reminded me of those random dreams everyone experienced growing up where they'd find themselves in a large public setting - all naked, with nothing on - and there was nothing that could be done except wait for the dream to be over.

All the while, the projections within the dream would either stare the naked person down, laugh at them, or attack as a horde of white blood cells. The situation was terrible either way because no escape route revealed itself until after the moment of embarrassment was felt. Sometimes one would eventually find a pile of clothes on the floor, a paper sign to use as cover, a closet to hide in, or perhaps a loaded pistol as a sure way of waking up.

Dismissing my thoughts, I frantically searched my immediate area while remaining frozen in place. _So where did my tail go? How did I lose it?_ Now my cover was partially blown. To them, I must've looked like a freak.

Aside from my current predicament, I couldn't help but admire the main area we were in...

Sometimes, when you have an audience staring you down, the only way to remain on stage is to distract yourself with something non-living. In my case, it was the interior architecture.

The multi-story lobby had an impressive layout containing multiple tree gardens throughout the main level with a centralized help desk surrounded by a giant sheriff star engraved on the floor. Behind the circular desk, I saw an ironically overweight cheetah holding a large birthday cake reading, 'HAPPY 30TH!' along with a couple of boxes of rainbow sprinkled donuts next to him. At first, I kinda wanted one until I saw a powdered donut lodged into the fat fold of his neck. Disgusting. I bet my appetite ran away faster than he ever could.

His mouth was completely full, his cheeks completely puffed up, but he didn't seem to swallow due to being diverted by my unexpected presence. To the left of him, there stood many more ZPD animal officers of different sizes, heights, and species who all wore the same blue uniform.

There were two maned lions, another rhinoceros, four tigers holding mugs, two grey wolves holding a birthday banner on the upper balcony, a blonde-haired pig, a wide-eyed African elephant, a hippopotamus with twitching ears, two polar bears, a black panther, a black bear, a horse, two ugly sheep, and a... _good heavens_... a minotaur-looking cape buffalo who looked like he wanted to put me in a chokehold.

He was a top-heavy build with dark grey fur, a four-star pinned shirt, and folded muscular arms. His pessimistic and suspicious-looking nature would not go well in these next few moments if I kept staring at him; thus, I avoided eye contact and turned to face the other officers.

While the others weren't quite as intimidating nor authoritative in appearance, they all seemed to be mildly confused and greatly disappointed by my unexpected arrival that ruined the surprise party. The entire room transitioned from silence to murmuring among the animal officers and I began to wonder what they were saying about me. Whatever it might've been, things weren't looking too swell so I weighed my possible options out. Couldn't think of any at the moment.

"Wilde!" the buffalo bellowed out, pointing at me. "See to it that this mammal gets checked in! Whatever he is." 

"Gladly, sir!" smirked the fox who began to guide me along. "I'll get our little party crasher here tucked away."

"And I want that paperwork done." 

"Be sure to leave me some cake!"

"Paperwork first!"

The fox shrugged and weaved us further through the animal crowd where they exchanged many inaudible comments with each other. Perhaps regarding me. I didn't like it because I couldn't hear them well enough to determine if it was negative or not. That is until one of them spoke out after checking the time on their cellular device.

"C'mon everyone!" the female elephant officer announced. "Grizzoli's gonna be here any minute now so get ready!"

That's when everyone in the lobby tended back to their duties and began to chatter nonstop. For me, it was too much to keep track of so I simply listened as we strolled along.

"You got it, Francine!"

"Let's clean this up before he gets here," 

"Yes, we can still surprise him!"

"Remember your positions!"

"Try not to put creases on that banner, Wolfard!" 

"10-4"

"Higgins! Come help me lift this, will ya?"

"On it,"

"Clawhauser! Stop picking at the cake!"

"Oh, right!"

"I'll watch the door," said a lion officer, walking to the entrance with a puzzled look. "Wait... Are you sure you locked it Fangmeyer?" "

Yes, I know I did," he answered, scratching his head. "Hmm... Wilde, did you unlock the doors when you came in?"

"Even the lock's broken. See?" the bear said, picking up the bolts.

"Wilde?"

"Hey now, don't look at me," the fox chuckled while thumbing towards me, "You can thank our new friend here for that."

The lion tilted his head and gave me a stern gaze of intimidation before returning to the door to fix it. I didn't care, for it wasn't my fault that they didn't have automated doors.

I'm guessing that because Grizzoli had keys to the building then only he or another fellow officer should've been able to gain access it. I felt a little bad for unintentionally making them think that I was that one lucky birthday officer since it was quite a pleasant surprise, to be honest; But it ended up being a false alarm because of my unexpected intrusion. My apologies to them but there's no way I could just wait outside the station before proceeding. The public caught wind of me so I had to make an impulsive move.

Hopefully, for my own sake, they had enough time to recover and throw the same surprise celebration at the officer who truly deserved it. Turning thirty years old? What a wonderful age to celebrate if you're into aging. If I were that officer, then I'd be graciously thanking everyone for the love and care put into the celebration.

_Y_ _et, here I was... ruining surprises with my own surprise..._

The stalwart rhino officer and the crooked tiger crook followed right behind us as we made our way past the circular help desk. The chubby cheetah stared in wonder, never taking his eyes off us, and slowly took a large bite out of the powdered donut that was previously stuck in his neck. I winced at this unappetizing sight and could only imagine the serious problem animals must've faced here when handling food and making sure their own fur didn't get mixed in with it.

_Gross._

So, he was the stereotypical donut loving cop then? He looked more like the cheetah who swallowed another cheetah due to his unfit body proportions. Behind his desk, I was tall enough to spot several stashes of food such as lucky chomps cereal, candy balls, cotton candy, extra donuts, and much more that I couldn't bear to count. Why so much junk food? Doesn't he know that he's going to get diabetes? At least he beat anorexia.

Thank goodness he didn't live in my world because he'd starve to death due to the short amount of rations we had following the nuclear fallouts. Also, our rations would'be been extinguished with him sniffing around.

In addition, he also had a bright pink coffee mug and a polished purple snowglobe on top of his desk. Both of them had etched in hearts and both had plenty of decorative glitters that gave off an overall feminine impression in his workspace. So he's that kind of animal then... well... whatever floats his boat.

As the fox and I walked along the hard floor with scattered pieces of wasted confetti blowing around with each step, I heard the flabby cheetah officer randomly cheer from behind,

"Wow! Look at you go, Officer Wilde! Way to catch yourself a... um... well... a big criminal!"

"Oh, it was nothing." smirked the fox. "Just another better day,"

"Be sure to come back for some cake and ice-cream once you're done!"

"Wouldn't wanna miss out, right?"

"Nope!" the cheetah gleamed brightly, "Especially if it's all homemade," he said, smacking his lips, "Oh! Aaand did I mention that we have blueberry icecream?"

"You've read my mind, Ben," the fox smiled with a wink, "Save some for me, okay bud?"

"Ohh, you know I will!" the cheetah grinned in an oddly feline feminine way.

Goodness, that cheetah got on my nerves. _There's more to life than food, you know_. Someone's gotta tell him that or he's going to learn the hard way. Problem is, Zootopia appeared to have an abundance of food - unlike my world - so the inhabitants here could stuff themselves without having to worry about the number of mouths to feed. If only my universe had that luxury.

The fox continuously escorted me to the back of the lobby where we came upon a set of double doors, leading into a possible check-up room. While keeping me in place, the fox reached for a set of keys on his utility belt but was interrupted by a jaguar officer passing through.

"Here, let me get that for you, Wilde," he said, holding the left door open.

"Why thank you!" the fox bowed. "Such a gentle-mammal."

"You're welcome." the jaguar smiled before lifting a bewildered eyebrow at me. "So... um, who...who do we have here exactly?"

"Say hello to the suspect from Precinct 2," the fox gestured to me in a presenting manner. Both observed but I only gave them a dead look. I took a big step through the double doors but felt a slight tug from the fox. Right. He couldn't take long steps like me so I had to take shorter steps to match his short height. Also, the animal's tails kept getting in the way so I had to watch where I was going.

The jaguar moved into the hallway with us and closed the doors behind him, "Oh, so he's... he's the one they were talking about earlier?" he asked while examining me from the waist up, "The one who caused all those public disturbances calls around 3:00 PM?"

"Bingo. We caught him and his buddy Mr. Stripes back there trying to steal a necklace." 

"A necklace, you say? Like a vintage?"

The fox nodded, "A decent one too."

"Wow," the jaguar pondered for a moment, "Do...Do you need my help getting him checked in?"

The fox casually shook his head. "No, he'll be easy."

 _Easy?_ I angrily pondered in my head.

"I really don't mind lending you a paw," the jaguar offered.

"Don't worry, my partner's on her way and you're already clocked out."

"You sure? I don't mind, I can just--"

"Relax! Go get yourself some cake and we'll join you all shortly!"

"Oh, okay, sounds good! See you soon," the jaguar waved while exiting the hallway door into the main lobby.

With the jaguar officer gone and the doors closed, it was now only the four of us in the long hallway stretch. There were many doorways with potted palm trees on both sides and the ceiling contained random clusters of light patterns that each resembled giraffe spots. Everything in this police station - including the city - had some sort of fancy animal architectural design. In my world, every man-made design was utilitarian; but in Zootopia, everything seemed to be more decorative.

It was a nice change in pace but it would've been considered a waste of resources during my former times. Fortunately, those days were long gone but a part of me still missed them.

The rhino officer and the tiger suspect went further ahead of us down the hallway while my personal fox escort slowed down a bit to send a quick text message to someone. Of course, HE would be texting on the job. We kept walking, albeit slowly, but the others were faster and already disappeared behind one of the doors at the far end.

Now it was only the fox and me.

With no other creature in sight, I dropped my gauntlets down to my sides and sighed out of relaxing relief. For the last couple of uncomfortable minutes, I had to tighten my wrists together to give off the false impression that my arms were still cuffed. Seeing if the fox would even notice, I turned my head and, sure enough, he noticed as one of his ears perked up.

...

His head lifted and his eyes grew big. "What the--?" he gasped, reaching for his utility belt. "Sorry, fox,"

...

Without hesitation, I stooped down and swiftly grabbed the fox officer by the neck. I held him up high with one hand which caused his legs to dangle, flail around helplessly, his teeth bared, and his paws holding onto my forearm for dear life. Watching his eyes widen in fear brought me great overdue satisfaction. I had him now.

"WHOA, whoa, whoa, please!" he grunted as I tightened my grip. "What are you... _doing?!_ "

With the other hand free, I reached for his utility belt to pull out the taser he used on me earlier. Its size may have been small for a standard-issue but it was potent enough to give a good zap so I activated it on the press of a button and held it in close proximity to his neck. Using someone's weapon against his/her self was always gratifying.

" _Use...your... words...bud_..." the fox begged, trying to free himself but to no avail.

However, instead of giving him the electric shock he deserved, I tightly clenched my fist around the electric device, causing it to crumble into hundreds of tiny pieces, and effectively destroying it. Emptying the dust debris from my hand, I also reached for his little tranquilizer pistol and likewise crumbled it like an empty soda can. _Now he was unarmed._

...

"You're... making... a big... mis...mistake!" he said, struggling to speak. "Y'know that?"

"Shut up." I barked.

...

As much as I disdained that fox, I had no intention of harming him further - as my own species would've - so I tossed him to the far side which caused him to slide a few meters away and thud with a wall. While he coughingly struggled to lift himself up, I made my way to one of the nearby hallway doors to find an alternate exit for escape.

I didn't know why I was doing this or what the devil I was thinking but it all likely happened out of pure soldier instinct. Either way, I convinced myself that I wouldn't become incarcerated by a bunch of talking animals; let alone, by a crafty little red fox. After all, that mantle of power fell upon humans.

I waved my arm, hoping the door's sensors would detect motion but it had to be opened manually just like in the old days.

As I swung open the unlabeled door, I was only met with a bunch of wooden brooms and mop heads falling over and plopping to the ground. I dodged them and there were at least seven more stored away in a disorganized manner. Too bad I couldn't use one of them to fly out of here like in the Harry Potter movies because that would've been overly convenient. Aside from that, there was nothing else but extra cleaning supplies inside. Great.

Moving to the next door adjacent to the custodial closet, I gripped the doorknob but nothing happened. _Locked._ I squeezed the handle once more but it snapped right off the panel and I shamefully held the broken piece in my hand. Disgruntled, I chucked it to the side and attempted the other door across the hallway. This one had a glass window so I peeked through to only be met with a dozen glances from the classroom pupils inside. I couldn't tell who it was exactly for I retreated my head back as quickly as possible but I knew they already saw me.

With options running low, I frantically checked my surroundings for another exit but couldn't find one that I didn't already try. There were more doors but all of them had at least two or more occupants on the other side and the pair of double doors at the far end were securely locked.

"Give it up pal," the fox quipped while slowly trying to stand. "You know you're in a police station, right?" 

Annoyed, I immediately deployed my nano pistol in one hand and pointed it right at him without looking.

"WHOA, Whoa there, take it easy! Easy now..." he said, crawling backward in fear until he backed up into another wall. "Now... I can tell you're not exactly in the mood to chat but--"

"Want a three-inch hole in your sternum?" I asked impatiently, "Stop. Talking."

"Okay! Fair enough," he frantically nodded, using his paw as an imaginary zipper to gesture that his mouth was zipped shut. 

Did he honestly think this was a joke?

His somewhat relaxed attitude certainly surprised me even though he still manifested a large hint of fear in his eyes. It's almost as if he were trying hard to be unphased even though he knew his life was in jeopardy. Fortunately for him, he preferred to keep his life by not doing anything foolish.

"Hey, is everything okay out here?" a young female voice asked. I turned to the right and it was an antelope with a lab coat and glasses poking her antlered head out one of the hallway doors. She must've been one of the ZPD forensics analysts based on the overall outfit. I gave her one glare and, just like that, she disappeared behind the door with great haste and locked it securely.

_Oh boy..._

However, seconds later, as I traveled down the hallway, that same door opened back up and a uniformed black panther came barging out. Upon seeing me, he briefly froze in place before shaking his thoughts and drew out his taser gun with a pinpoint red laser. The red dot appeared on my chest but I didn't bother to raise my weapon at him. Instead, I waited for him to make a move even though in a game of chess white always moves first.

"Freeze!" he ordered, giving stern and threatening eyes that seemed to give off an eerie glow. "I will not ask you a second time!"

Taking a step closer, I tilted my head forward in intimidation.

"Back off," I said while raising my pistol at him. 

He reacted by tightening his grip and sharpening his focus.

"Last chance! Drop the weapon!" he ordered, "Right now!"

"No." I glared.

At that moment, he pulled the trigger and the electric wire launched straight at me. I tried to dodge it but my arm got in the way and the thin cord wrapped around my forearm. The tip lodged between the armor plates which caused a sharp current to run its course throughout my body.

However, I withstood most of it due to my suit absorbing the majority of the voltage charge. Unlike the fox, the panther struck a thicker and more protected section of my armor.

Since the entangled wire cord was still attached to both my forearm and the panther's gun, I gripped the cord with one arm and pulled the panther officer's pistol towards me like a game of tug-of-war. I half expected him to let go of the pistol but he kept a tight enough grip on it that he traveled with it. Cranking my other arm back, I then landed a solid punch to his face which caused him to fall flat on his back and slide a few yards away. He was knocked out cold.

"Oh my god!" the fox exclaimed, still sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the wall. "What... what are you doing?"

"Leaving," I answered while searching the panther's unconscious body for keys which I couldn't find.

"Listen big guy, you're trapped here!" he pointed out. "You won't be getting out that easy... trust me..." 

"We shall see."

"What kind of animal are you? Better yet, WHAT are you?" 

"That should be the least of your concerns."

"But who are you?"

Evading his question and departing away from him, I moved to the set of double doors at the end of the hallway but both were securely locked and fastened shut.

I looked back at the red fox behind me who sat on the floor and stared in curious disbelief. Raising my finger and pointing at him, I warned, "If you try anything funny, you're done."

Instead of lifting the other handle, using a stolen keycard, or knocking as a civilized creature should, I kicked both doors wide open, denting the wooden panel, and moved into the next room.

Another hallway; albeit, a unique one.

This time, the hallway twisted around a bend and had fewer doors than the previous one. The design was similar but much curvier and more decorative. Hanging along the walls, it had police uniform portraits of all the officers working at the ZPD - past, present, and maybe even future - since some of the frames had nameplates but no picture yet added.

Truly, it was quite strange to see animals wearing formal outfits and smiling like humans because fangs and sharp teeth didn't exactly register as a pleasant smile to me. However, they pulled it off well and they were evolved enough to have a decent grin. While some maintained a closed mouth smile as I would, the amount of emotion among their faces revealed a great deal of personality.

There were too many police portraits to look at but I did see the elephant, the buffalo, the fox, the wolf, and... well... the panther I barely punched back there. I'm sure he'd be all right.

On a bulletin, adjacent to the portraits, I saw a little poster showcasing the ZPD history, its accomplishments (including the Night Howler case), and the following article:

_T_ _op 3 reasons to be a cop are:_

_T_ _o fight for justice! To serve the citizens! And to make the world a better place!_

How cute, I thought sarcastically. Each of the three reasons had a lengthy paragraph that I didn't have time to read, nor did I much care. Escape was my only concern.

However, I had to admit that the police here in the city of Zootopia seemed like quite a noble force. They were always willing to serve others at the expense of their free time and they all appeared to sincerely love their job. The bulletin had numerous pictures of service projects, fundraisers, goofy group photos, portraits with government officials, teaching children in school, providing educational support in colleges, and many more things they did.

What hit me most is that they all had families. This world still had that sweet tradition of taking happy family pictures where everyone stood together as one unit. My world didn't have that anymore. We gradually transitioned ourselves away from families and more towards individualism until it was generally accepted that man and women ought to fend for his or her self.

In Zootopia, families were strong but they were filled with an aura of innocence. In my world, individuals were strong but they were filled with an aura of guilt.

The officer's pictures were indeed beautiful but painful to watch. I couldn't bear it anymore because it was beyond my society's culture. A rejected concept, never to make a comeback. Just a memory but never a reality for me. I was my own family photo.

When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose. When you've got everything, like a family, then you've got everything to lose. Was it worth it? Most decent creatures would say yes. However, I came from an indecent world ravaged by bionuclear warfare. Not exactly a fair environment to raise an innocent family in.

No matter, life wasn't fair so we had to take it as it is. Not everyone gets to the opportunity to be happy so we often have to create it for ourselves. If I could leave this place and avoid jail, then I'd be happier. Away from animals, away from this city, and away from trouble; whatever it takes to not feel like an alien in this overpopulated zootropolis. In the long term, it'd be safer for everyone else.

Perhaps the rocky mountains or a thick forest could provide my ideal remedy because those places were like dedicated sanctuaries for those who prefer to be alone. Luckily for me, I had the tools to get out of here.

 _But would it be like a walk in the park? Easy to do?_ About 77% said yes but 23% said no. After all, I was from the future so nothing or no one could stand in my way. I may not be the sharpest drawer in the knife but I had the technology. I had the capacity to multitask by killing two stones with one bird.

I peeked through the windows for an alternative escape route but every room behind each door had no obvious outlet. Electric outlets, yes, plenty of them; but outlets to escape, no, none whatsoever. Directly above me, I did see a fair-sized air ventilation shaft behind a metal ceiling grate but I rejected the idea due to my fear of claustrophobia and the fact that I'd be making too much noise traveling through it.

The hallway continued to wind itself around in a tight manner and I didn't like where it was going. At this point, It redirected itself to another section of the building: The main lobby of the police station where we first came in. _The only way out now. Frick._

There was another set of double doors but neither panel had any window to glance through. I knew the lobby was on the other side but I had no idea how close by the exit would be. My options were limited-to-none so I shook my head and stepped forward to push the door. Locked again. I punched the handle and it finally flung wide open.

Multitudinous light rays blinded my eyes as bright beams from the sun shone straight through the lobby windows as the sun prepared to set for the day. The entire room had a gentle glow to it while the white color of my armor gave off an imperial glimmer. After my vision went momentarily green, I began to see again and the exit was directly ahead of me.

...

Nonetheless, my hope for an easy escape rapidly seeped away as I saw multiple animal police officers surrounding my position. Their weapons were fully drawn and pointed in my direction.

Instinctively, I deployed my duel pistols and aimed right back at them. This caused some to flinch but they eventually came back to focus. Due to being outnumbered, I pointed at different targets here and there to give all an equal chance of intimidation.

...

It must've been everyone from the lobby. From medium to large size, they all stood together as one united team and blocked my exit. The largest animals - such as the elephant - stood in the back row and the smallest animals - such as the wolves - knelt down in the front row, with mildly confused but strongly focused facial expressions as they prepared for action. Ears were pointed and animal instincts were kicking into gear.

As they wish...

Time for battle but no time for war.

Their tranquilizer weapons didn't scare me, for they were far inferior to my own weaponry, but the animal diversity of their force and the bravery they manifested was what hit me most. After all, the floor had the words 'Trust, Integrity, Bravery' engraved so they had to live up to it, even if it meant death.

All the mammal officers held their positions except for one of them that stepped forward through the crowd. He wasn't the tallest but the horned officer had the most intimidating scowl of them all.

The uniformed cape buffalo took a defensive stance and glared at me for a few seconds. Then, while pointing at me, he said, "You're not going anywhere! We've got you surrounded."

His remark made me question my actions but I had to convince myself to remain calm if I were to talk my way out of this one. The last thing I wanted was to gun down all these innocent creatures for doing their job and my only desire was to prevent myself from being imprisoned by talking animals.

Either way, I made myself increasingly eligible for jail but I couldn't allow imprisonment without a good fight. Ideally, I would escape from this place and show them I was more powerful than that fox made me out to be. Plus, I never stole the antique necklace so I didn't even belong here.

Back on Earth-77, the judicial system under the Intergalactic Stratocracy was painfully slow and several months could pass before an innocent man was released from prison after being found 'not guilty'. Could the same broken system exist here on Zootopia? Possibly but not likely. Either way, I didn't want to take any chances. I've been falsely imprisoned at home before and it was a terrible mental experience. One thing I regretted was not fighting back when I had the chance. Today would be different.

The buffalo chief waited for my response but I gave him none. Growing impatient, he sighed and took a deep breath before speaking. 

"Now, let's make this simple," the buffalo continued. "Turn yourself in and we can resolve without further conflict."

"Without conflict? Possibly." 

"Splendid. Now prove it."

Per his request, I gently lowered both my guns and stared at the ground in thought. Perhaps it'd be best to let them take me in for there was nothing to gain from this. Unlike the encounter I had with the Howl family in the forest, this upcoming encounter could actually get someone hurt.

Nonetheless, my pride got the best of me and I had zero desire to be placed in a jail cell. Who knows if my temptation to escape jail would cause more problems than the problems I'd create while trying to leave this station. Either way, the result would be the same so I raised my pistols back up again and pointed them at the officers.

"But turn me in? Not going to happen." I declared.

The mammal officers tightened the grip on their pistols and the water buffalo disapprovingly shook his head. "I don't know what the devil you are, nor do I care, but you will NOT be leaving here!"

"We'll see." I challenged.

"I'm only going to ask this _once_." he fumed. "DROP your weapons and STAND DOWN!"

Things were about to get ugly. The horned chief would not mess around any further and his deathly glare penetrated down to my eyes even though he couldn't see them. I exchanged glances with the other officers and some shared the same serious face as their chief while others seemingly begged me to give in.

Like Edward Scissorhands, I couldn't exactly 'drop' my weapons and the officers didn't know that. My guns were a part of my suit and, in essence, a part of me. For that reason, I replied, "No, sir."

Everyone briefly looked at each other like I was crazy but they had no idea who I truly was.

"It's not worth it, buddy," the grey wolf officer warned.

"C'mon!"

"Don't make us do this,"

"Just get down on the floor," the elephant urged, "and put your paws up,"

For a moment, I almost gave in. None of the officers had the eagerness to fire their pistols, as I would've, and I admired that. I could see it in their innocent eyes. All they wanted was a peaceful resolution. My ego set in once more so I stood my ground, quietly uttered, "Never." and pointed both pistols at the chief which made everyone tense up.

"Final warning! On the floor, face down!" 

"Right now!"

"Down on the floor now!"

But I heeded them not and maintained my silence. I knew what I had to do.

The buffalo grumbled before glowering at me for a few seconds, probably wondering why I was being so stubborn. 

With no more patience to spare, he raised his arm and lowered it while issuing the command, "Drop him!"


	26. Victory is Mine

The tiger officer fired the first shot, as the tranquilizer dart hit just above the heart of my chest plate.

Dead silence filled the lobby as the only sound one could make out was a soft metallic ping. I slowly looked down and saw the dart resting on the ground, with a bright green stabilizer and a completely broken tip.

The needle failed to implant itself which caused a great wave of bewilderment among the animal officers. The dart's structural integrity was no match against an intergalactic military-grade alloy from another time and another universe. Thus, I remained standing and they somehow thought that I'd be brought down with ease. They were wrong.

W _hat a shame._ However, instead of reevaluating the situation, their next move was to try again; thus, they all rechecked their pistols - to ensure they were loaded - and pointed them all right at me. _Seriously?_

The two kneeling wolves upfront took their shots, sending two more darts flying along my direction. I held my breath and froze, hoping that they didn't aim for the groin. Even if they did I'm sure the armor would've withstood the impact but the very thought of it still caused me to cringe.

The first dart skidded off my right shoulder and the second one crashed into my lower abdomen and likewise fell to the floor. _That was close_ but both darts failed miserably. The two wolves desperately checked to make sure their weapons actually fired and sure enough, they did fire.

"He's not dropping!"

"But...but how?"

"What's going on?"

"Chief?"

Never had I seen so many wide-eyed animals before. Even the chief's jaw hung slightly open and the cheetah behind the circular desk had one sprinkled paw over his mouth. None of them knew what to think... or what to do.

"Again!" the chief ordered. "Everyone on my mark!"

The ZPD officers tightened their stances and prepared for the ultimate squad attack. The chief raised his arm to give them the signal.

"One!" he started, pausing for a brief moment.

"Two!" we looked at each other in the eye.

"Three!"

His arm dropped and all the animal officers fired their tranquilizer dart pistols in unison. The hippo took a shot.

The elephant pressed the trigger. The jaguar aimed and fired.

The timberwolf launched a dart.

The two polar bears both hurled darts.

The black and grizzly bears sent off their shots. 

The tigers fired again.

And the sheep fired together.

But it all resulted in the same outcome. The darts simply bounced off the suit with zero effect. Such futile efforts.

Needle tips were crushed, darts grazed off to the side, and their pathetic supply of useless ammunition diminished. Now I had a collection of broken needles at my boots which summed up their tactical failure. It was as if a bunch of children was using rubber bands to launch sharp pencils at a solid concrete wall.

Now they were beyond the border of confusion. "It can't be!"

"But... but that's... that's not possible!" an officer gasped. "There's no way..."

 _These fools weren't getting the message._ They reminded me of those natives from other worlds who used stone-aged weaponry against their interstellar invaders. Those poor souls often perished, thinking that they had life all figured out until they meet someone that's decades ahead of their time.

My pistols were still raised, I gave the ZPD in front of me a dead stare, and wondered what they'd do next. I didn't want to make a move unless I had to. After all, what more could they do now? They failed to bring me down. My hope was that they'd just disperse themselves and leave me alone but they continued to stand in my way.

Quietude prevailed for too long, the officers had no idea on how to interpret the situation, so I let out a sigh and asked, "Are we done here?"

The animal officers looked at each other and shrugged. None spoke but they pondered on how they ought to proceed. Close in on me or retreat from me? Hopefully, the latter. Thus, a couple of them looked to their chief for an answer.

But the commanding buffalo wouldn't have it. Shaking his head in anger, he reached for one of the bear officer's pistols and swiftly snatched it from their paws.

"Give me that!" he snarled.

With his arms fully flexed, he primed the pistol and aimed it right at me. With an aggressive gaze of pure determination, he squeezed the trigger and fired a shot.

This time, instead of a repeated ricochet like the last few shots, the dart he fired successfully implanted itself in the worst spot:

_My head._

That certainly caused me to flinch _and jolt back._

With one pistol still aimed at them, I used my other gauntlet hand to pull the dart out. It was tightly wedged between the visor and the forehead.

 _What a great shot_.

I held the dart in the palm of my gauntlet, casually examined it, and then I tightly closed my grip around it. Within seconds, the dart shattered into multiple fragments, and I discarded them like mere bread crumbs.

Suddenly though, I dropped.

I collapsed onto all fours and wriggled in pain. The nano-pistols were absorbed back into the suit as my fingers were outstretched along with the rest of my body. My arms shakingly grabbed my head as I tried my best to fight off whatever was happening to me. The horned chief lowered the empty pistol and nodded in solemn satisfaction. _He actually did it._

As I weakly knelt down and stared at the other animals in a downcasted manner, the other officers lifted their heads in victory. They were quite relieved.

"Aww, Chieeef! You did it!" the cheetah cheered. "Nice one, sir!"

"Yes!"

"We've got him now."

...

It would seem that the chief finally got me... except... _he didn't_. What they didn't know was that I faked it all along. The dart had no effect on me, yet, while the needle did get stuck in my helmet, it never reached the skin. _I was actually okay._

Nonetheless, the opportunity to trick them was too good to pass up so I had to give them that false sense of victory. It was working. I continuously wailed on the floor, waiting for the right moment during their mid-celebration, and then I carefully stood myself up, rolled my shoulders back and forth few times, stretched, and tightly clenched both my fists.

Now they were in trouble.

Their triumphant smiles quickly converted into perturbed expressions as they saw me rise up as if nothing ever happened. Unharmed and unphased like a Terminator except with blue eyes instead of red. The poor buffalo chief would be just like his other officers: completely helpless and unable. He may be a chief but he's no Master Chief. I squinted at his nametag and saw 'Bogo' but I could've sworn that it said 'Bozo'.

Nevertheless, I had to give him credit for that marksman shot. Too bad target practice was over. I inched my way forward and some of them backed up in wonder and disbelief.

"Wha?" one of them murmured. "Wait... did he just...?"

"Huh?"

_Oh, how I loved their reactions! They had no idea._

As I panned my head around, I stared them all down as threateningly as I could, waited a few seconds, tempted myself to say something clever, but then I chose to remain silent. Sometimes, filling the air with meaningless words can ruin the moment so I took it upon myself to savor the moment. I kept quiet.

As they say, silence is golden.

The exit was only a couple of yards away and the animal officers were standing in staggered positions. It was now or never.

In a blink, I rapidly strode my way to the double doors, pushing my way past the smaller officers - such as the pig, sheep, and wolves - causing them to tumble over until a lion and a polar bear officer stood in the way. They were too big to push with ease and both raised their arms up to block me from advancing.

"Stop right there, sir!" the lion roared, whose nametag read as 'Delgato'. "Don't move!" the arctic bear raised a paw, keeping the other on his taser.

Right behind them, I saw the rhino and elephant officer stand guard by the doors, arms folded, and blocking my only escape path.

_What fools to think they could stop me._

"Stand aside," I huffed, clenching both fists tightly. The temptation to draw out my weapon got progressively worse but I barely mustered enough energy to prevent the nanoparticles from assembling.

"Get down on the floor, right now!" they shouted. "And paws up!"

These animal officers were getting on my nerves. All they had to do was back away and no harm would come to them. However, at this point, I couldn't make guarantees anymore.

Glaring at the officers with my expressionless helmet face, I took one more daunting step towards them, "Careful," I warned, "I'm a force to be reckoned with."

"Which is why you're not leaving," the buffalo menacingly chimed in from the side. "We're taking you in! I pivoted 45 degrees to face him and shook my head. "That's not going to happen."

"If you won't let us resolve this with tranquility... then we'll do it by brute force," the buffalo said with seriousness in his tone. He waited for me to respond but I continued to stand in place, stare him down, and kept my fists closed. Realizing this, he continued, "If that's how you want it... then so be it."

"I'd like to see you try." I taunted.

The chief appeared to be increasingly belligerent but he impressively maintained his composure. "Sir, maybe you can't count..." he warned, "there are twenty of us... and only one of you."

Upon hearing this, I looked around at the surrounding officers, smiled under my helmet, and said, "Get some more mammals then it'll be an even fight."

My prideful remark caused a few animals to look at one another as if I were a complete lunatic. However, some seemed to be sincerely concerned and didn't like where this was going.

A grizzly bear officer rushed in from the side to pounce, I blocked his incoming paws and jabbed him in the throat. He fell hard on his hip and coughed uncontrollably.

The lion and polar bear both charged from the front, I flung the lion to the ground, pushed the bear back, and threw my punch downward. The lion rolled away, dodged it, causing my fist to strike the floor and crack it.

The lion then kicked me in the armored gut, breaking his toe, but caused me to fall back into the polar bear's grasp. Before he could gain full control, I elbowed him in the abdomen, he hunched over in pain, I spun around and thrust him in the jaw.

The lion limped over, with a baton in his paw, he performed a skillful twirl with it, and then he swung. I ducked, picked him up in a fireman's carry, and tossed him at the circular help desk. The box of donuts spilled everywhere and the cheetah's glass snowglobe shattered all over the lobby floor, spilling water and snowflakes all around. The lion growled in pain but was unable to stand.

 _What was I thinking?_ All this just to prove that I didn't steal a lousy necklace? To escape into the mountains? Far too late for that. Now, it was all about proving power over innocence. Humans really are obstinate, especially me.

The sheep attempted to flock towards me but they hesitated and backed away. _Wise decision._ But the ram had enough confidence to thrust himself at me and that's what he did. Out of all the animal officers I've seen so far, these rams were by far the _ugliest_. For that reason, I easily dodged his incoming attack, grabbed him by the horns with both gauntlets, spun myself around three times, I let go, and then he crashed upside down into one of the lobby windows. The entire panel cracked but it didn't break. Must've been safety glass. Either way, the ram was now incapacitated.

As I stood my ground, waiting for the next animal to attack, I watched as a series of emotions ran through their furry heads. Some were angry, some were fearful, some were hesitant, and others were concerned about the well being of the officers I took down. The smaller animals rushed over to check on them while the larger animals repositioned themselves around me. The exit was still blocked so I had to get creative without killing someone. Thank goodness I had this suit on me because I would not have made it this far.

Sometimes, humans came out on top and claimed victory whereas other times we lost miserably. Who knew how the current situation would play out but I felt a burning desire to stand up for myself.

Of course, being captured by humans wouldn't matter as much for they were my equals. But these Zootopian officers? These animal officers who came from a technologically lagged society? There's no way I'd allow a bunch of talking animals to take me to jail for it sounded far too ridiculous to believe.

Before I could fully position myself back into a proper fighting stance, there were two striped furry arms that unexpectedly came down in front of my face. They grabbed around my upper chest and pulled me into a tight hold that caused me to hunch over.

Nearly collapsing onto both my knees, I did my best to keep them sturdy but the weight of both tigers was taking a major toll on me.

With both my arms pinned from behind, I flung my head backward and smacked the tiger officer on the face. This caused him to stumble over while the other tiger officer rushed to restrain my head. I firmly grabbed his massive paw with one of my free hands and twisted it around, causing him to loudly growl in pain which also made him unsheathe his claws.

Pulling his arm down, he indirectly scratched the top of my helmet, breaking off the false disguise ears, and then I pummeled him in the gut. This made him fall to the floor, bellowing in stomach pain, and forcing the other animal officers to provide immediate backup.

The grey wolf dove straight for my legs to grab hold of them and he tried to bring me down. His swift speed and brisk agility caught me off guard; however, I managed to react in time by snatching him up by one of his pointed ears and then I stomped hard on his tail, which made him yelp loudly, causing the whole lobby to echo. I then hammered him in the cheekbone which made him skid a few yards across the floor and crash into a wooden bench. He had enough momentum that it fell apart and the seat bench fell on his face. _Ouch._

 _Perhaps that was a bit too much._ Usually, I'm not a believer in violent measures.

Just then, a jaguar officer leaped from the upper balcony as a surprise attack but I responded in time by swiping my first and knocking him out mid-air. He fell flat on his back and grasped his nose as drops of blood began to seep out.

My heart ached at their pain level responses, especially upon hearing the sound of the wolf's whimper, but my thoughts were soon shaken away as some of the larger animals attempted to pile on top of me.

To my surprise, the female pig officer with blonde hair decided to whip out her police baton and repeatedly strike me across the knees. She couldn't reach my head but another grey animal came in from behind and placed its weight on my back. This caused me to bend over greatly.

This gave the pig officer a great opportunity because the level of my head now matched hers. Without a second to spare, she cranked her arm back as far as she could and took a massive swing at my face with such blunt force.

Her wooden baton instantly snapped in half upon impact but it had no significant effect on me, aside from a minor migraine. Nonetheless, this made my facial helmet disguise degrade even further and now they all saw me for who I really was. A multi-blue-eyed monster.

Many of them gasped at me. Whether it was because of the seemingly painful impact to the face I took with a baton without flinching or just the fact that my helmet looked completely alien to them. I couldn't really tell.

One thing for sure though, the female pig officer tripped in place and crawled backward from me in utter fright. She couldn't stand the sight of me. _Oh, please_ , I thought; there's no way my mask was more offputting than her blonde hair.

While I struggled to free myself from the grey animal's unyielding grip from behind, I could hear all the other officers murmuring among themselves.

Even the buffalo chief had a mildly stunned expression but he did his best to dismiss it. "Enough! Whatever he is, just restrain him!" The crushing weight of the grey animal continued to take effect on me and other animals rushed over to place restraints. I couldn't let them so I collapsed to the floor, rolled to the side, and kicked the rhino officer in the snout. Surely, this must've ticked him off a great deal but at least I freed myself from his hefty build.

The elephant desperately tried to stomp me with her arms but I somersaulted to the side and kicked her leg joint. She didn't fall over but she trumpeted in pain and took another swoop at me. She barely missed my head and I ran off to the side.

"STOP! Stop right now!" the animal exclaimed. "We can't let him leave!"

The entrance behind me was now more exposed than ever so I made a run for it. A timber wolf officer suddenly grabbed my arm, he tightly dug his paws into me, but I grabbed his other arm and repeatedly punched him in the chest six times until he fell over.

The chief got in position to take me head-on so we both charged at each other. As I ran, my fears kicked in so I spotted an empty tranquilizer pistol on the floor, grabbed it, and threw it directly at the chief's face. The pistol smacked between his eyes, he fell over and knocked over the hippo officer standing next to him. _Boy, that was lucky._

The two lions lunged after me once more but I dodge the first one, grabbed him by the edge of his mane, and kneed him right in the face.

My suit's defensive armor was now becoming a blunt offensive weapon, ideal for hand-to-hand combat. Or, in this case, hand-to-paw combat.

After the first lion painfully fell over, the second lion successfully tackled me to the ground, causing me to skid on the hard floor, and he held me down to place me in handcuffs.

"STAY DOWN, sir!"

Nonetheless, my prideful determination kicked in so I twisted myself under his lion grip and threw him off of me. He couldn't grab hold of me because my armor had a hard enough texture that wouldn't allow claws to dig in all the way. As he flew in the air, he fell onto one of the planter pots near the door, which shattered and spilled soil all over the floor.

Now I was making a big mess and the cheetah behind the desk gasped at all the events unfolding before him. Luckily, he wouldn't have to face as much head trauma as these other officers were currently experiencing.

Finally, the exit was clear. Well, almost. All the animal officers were either behind me or still on the floor, recovering from their temporal injuries. These animals messed with the wrong human for I could never be contained.

The hippo was on the ground and dizzyingly grabbed my boot to pull me down but I kicked him hard in the nose and knocked him out. The jaguar reattempted his attack, I swung my fist at him, he dodged it, punched me in the lower abdomen, but he sprained his paw wrist, and had no effect on me.

His eyes widened in surprise so I gripped him by the neck, jumped straight up, and used my other arm to strike him down on the top of his head with a single blow. He was finally knocked out and likewise incapacitated.

The timber wolf desperately charged again, he swung his baton at my face, it snapped in half upon impact, and I punched him right in the nose. The force was great enough that he fell back a couple of yards and remained motionless.

Now the coast was clear.

My adrenaline kicked in, I felt excited to leave this place, and I looked forward to NOT spending time in jail this evening. Next stop: The lonely mountains.

Nevertheless, I probably wouldn't arrive there until at least tomorrow. If I had to sleep on the street or in a cardboard box, I didn't care because any of those places sounded better than concrete confinement.

After a rapid sprint, I outstretched my gauntlet to reach for the double doors and they opened right up. _Freedom at last._

...

...

...

Before I could take a single step outside, I felt my entire body fly across the inner lobby like a rag doll.

...

_Something massive hit me._

...

My head smacked into a sandstone pillar, chunks fell out, then I crashed onto one of the glass cases containing award trophies. They all spilled across the floor, along with other broken glass fragments that rained upon me. _What happened?_

As I laid there prone - feeling incredibly weakened and deprived of energy - with shattered glass shards all around me, I painstakingly lifted up my head and saw nothing but a blur. Walking towards me, I saw the other animal officers approaching my vicinity and central among them was a stocky rhino wearing full body armor on his chest.

My, he was a colossal figure! He easily stood over thirteen feet tall and easily towered over most animals I've seen in Zootopia with the exception of the giraffe.

The rhino officer nodded in satisfaction as he approached me with handcuffs in his grip. _So he's the one that did it_. He's the one that hid behind one of the entrance pillars and waited for the right opportunity to take me down.

Every step he took made the broken glass particles vibrate as if a T-rex from Jurassic Park were approaching. _Not good._

He got me big time and words couldn't describe how throbbing the pain felt throughout my entire body. My muscles twitched, I breathed heavily, I detected multiple contusions under my armor, and I felt like a skyscraper collapsed on top of me. Now that was a cruel move. There's no way that he didn't leave a dent in my armor.

Everyone gathered around while I laid there on the floor. Since sharp glass fragments were everywhere, everyone took caution to not step on a piece and get cut. 

The buffalo chief approached the rhino from the side and placed his arm on him to congratulate him. "Well done, Krumpanski,"

"Yes, great job!" another officer cheered. "You got him!"

The rhino humbly nodded and proceeded with making the arrest. Unable to move or flex well, all I could do was lay there in continual pain and admit defeat. After what I did to those other poor animal officers, I had it coming. What goes around, comes around, I suppose.

However, instead of the rhino making the arrest, he simply handed the large handcuffs to one of the polar bear officers. There were two of them and both towered over me to place the restraints over my gauntlets. One held me down with his thick heavy paws and the other one carefully grabbed my wrists to lock them in place.

This situation sucked. One minute, I'm almost out the door and the next minute I'm out on the floor.

As the animal police officers continually crowded around me - to get a better look at what kind of alien creature they were dealing with - I saw that same black panther and annoying red fox from earlier.

The black panther held a tissue up to his nose, soothing the spot where I struck him with my fist, and he appeared to be eternally grateful that I was finally brought down. For the fox, he still had that same confident smirk upon his face which really began to rub salt in my wound. He acted too casual about the whole situation and I couldn't understand why. He even seemed to enjoy watching me get arrested again and sipped a cup of coffee while doing so. Wait, was he wearing aviators too? Of course, he was.

 _Stop. Making. Those. Sipping. Sounds,_ I angrily thought to myself.

But it wasn't just him, it was everyone else. The weight of the polar bears and the wolf made my back sorer than it already was. The other officers in the background celebrated as if their most painful day on duty was far behind them. They cheered, they congratulated each other, and every sound in their group celebration was beyond irritating.

_What a happy day for them..._

Wolves howled in victory, the lions roared in pride, the elephant happily trumpeted, and the noise continued on and on. My already throbbing head began to throb even more and being the byproduct of their lucky victory insulted my armored corpse.

Feeling helpless, exhausted, and angry, I rested my head face down on the floor. Everything was so backward now. In my universe, I used to observe these animals in cages since we had complete control over them. None of them wore police uniforms, none of them smirked, none of them laughed, and none of them tried to arrest you.

Just blank stares were all we got at the lab and nothing more. No emotion, no feelings, no arguing, none of that. Just us humans and an experimental animal behind bars.

_That's it, I'm done._

With absolutely no energy whatsoever, I tried to lift myself up but I fell down flat on the ground. My efforts were hopeless. These animals were in control now, not me.

I tried again but the result was the same. Nothing got better.

Something strange happened to me. My thoughts ran their course and the only thing that I pondered was how much freedom was worth fighting for. Freedom was never free, never has been, and never will be unless we fought for it.

I fought but couldn't flex a muscle. It was all over for today. I had to learn to give up. The impact from the rhino and the wall took it out of me.

_Not today..._

Miraculously, I exerted my last reserve of energy and forced myself to stand. I don't know how on Earth I accomplished it but I somehow did it without thinking. The two polar bear officers frettingly tried to hold me down but I pushed through them and took a bold, risky stand.

Out of natural impulse, the other officers rushed in to detain me, dropping their coffee mugs, including the Buffalo officer who took it upon himself to place me in a hold, for the safety of his fellow officers.

Natheless to say, within seconds, they all backed up in a sheer panic as I deployed my nano-pistols once more and fired two shots at the ceiling. There was a crack of thunder as the beam heated the air in its path, lighting up the entire room, which destroyed one of the light fixtures above. Fire sparks roamed about the air and there were two charred holes in the ceiling containing multiple flame bits.

_T_ _ime to get ruthless._

All the surrounding animals immediately stood back, gasped, and defensively lifted their paws. Some ducked, others tripped, while a few froze in place.

"Whoa! Whoa!"

"Hold up!"

"Easy! Easy now!" 

"Don't shoot!"

I aggressively pointed my weapons in random, alternating directions, and the officers were quick to obey my commands for once. Unlike before, I was far from calm. I was downright infuriated. They ticked off the wrong soldier.

"STAY BACK!" I shouted, "That's a warning!"

They all jumped away and the cheetah hid behind his desk. His tail was still exposed so he pulled it down.

They say to never fire those kinds of shots but these animals had to be an exception. They underestimated me to a point that a loud demonstration was necessary. Otherwise, I might've used one of them as a target example. Never had they experienced anything like this on the job and they must've prayed that I wouldn't fire another follow-up shot.

As hostile as I felt, my body still hunched over from being thrown across the room and my left leg ached tremendously. I tried my best to fight back the pain but my posture continued to decline, my knees wanted to buckle, and I began to lose formality in my stance. Nevertheless, I continued to remain upright, more or less, and my weapons were ready for any of their sudden movements.

So it has come to this.

Brief silence took over the lobby, no one spoke, and no one dared to move. Only the small sound of a flickering flame on the ceiling and the gun's previous echo could be heard.

I thought this moment would be gratifying for me but it all felt so wrong to me. Why did I do this? _This was not the way_. Regardless, I already committed myself so I had to follow through. Shaking my doubtful thoughts and trying to rationalize my way through this, I kept my pistols pointed at the animals and meticulously limped toward the exit.

Every step I took felt like agony so I couldn't move fast nor could I move well. My body felt tense and as if it were about to fall apart. "Easy buddy, just let us help you. You can put the guns down."

I looked to the side and it was the same red fox from earlier. He stood there with his paws up, trusting that I wouldn't shoot him, and carefully took a step towards me.

"Wilde! Don't go near him!" "Wilde!"

But the fox ignored the warnings of his fellow officers and continued advancing. Brave of him, for sure, but also quite foolish if he thought he could trick me again.

I aimed both pistols at his chest which made him feel uneasy at first but he quickly managed to calm himself by taking deep breaths. The sincerity and concern in his forest green eyes, even if it were only a mere trace, caused me to lower my pistols slightly. Aside from his smaller size, there was something about him that distinguished him from the other animal officers.

"Easy buddy." he calmly said, "It doesn't have to be this way."

_Who does he think he is? A peacekeeper?_

This had to be a trick. Never trust a fox. He brought me here into this whole mess and I was more than ready to vaporize him if that smug little grin ever came back to his face. I eagerly waited for him to do it, charged my pistols, and aimed them right at his head.

However, instead of grinning, he held his paws up, closed his eyes, looked away, and braced himself for whatever I'd do to him next. He didn't grin but he didn't run either. He was definitely nervous but he continued to stand directly in front of me, held his ground, and was seemingly ready to accept whatever fate I'd bestow upon him.

Seeing his innocence made my guilt settle in. I couldn't help but lower my weapons in admiration at his character. Even though I didn't like him one bit my feelings were starting to feel more mixed than hateful.

While my pistols were pointed at the ground, I caught the other animal officers moving towards Officer Wilde. They thought that he'd be needing backup so they came in from behind and tried to convince him to retreat back with them.

Of course, I could tell that the fox didn't like what they were doing because he wanted to go at this alone and he facepalmed in response to their unwanted interference. However, there were other animal officers in the distance - especially the bigger ones - circling about in a suspicious manner.

I didn't like where this was going so I raised my pistols back up again and aimed both of them directly at the group, causing everyone to jump back in panic. For all I knew, they could've been plotting another trick to bring me in. Not going to happen. Not now, not ever. Not this time.

With both my arms stretched outward, pointing the gun's reticles at the police officers behind the fox, I gazed down at him and admitted, "I'm sorry... but I've come too far."

My pistols made their priming sound and were now ready to fire.

...

...

...

Out of nowhere, I heard a slight swooshing sound pass through the air and noticed a bright green stabilizer attached to my finger. I tilted my wrist to get a better look and someone had shot another tranquilizer dart at me. Unlike the previous shots, I felt a stinging pain from the needle for it had successfully implanted itself. My armor was thinner at the gauntlets so I knew it meant trouble.

As I pulled the dart out, my entire left arm felt numb and impassively dangled off to the side. I couldn't feel anything nor could I move it.

...

...

...

"Cherry!" a familiar voice shouted from above. "STOP!"

I looked up to see a purple-eyed bunny officer standing on one of the upper balconies in the lobby. She had an empty tranquilizer pistol in one paw and quickly loaded a second dart into the chamber. She finally made it back and I imagine that the hyena stood no chance against her.

_But what took her so long? Did her phone die or something?_

She jumped down from the balcony, using the elephant officer as support, and slid down to the lobby floor. With haste, she took quick, small, soft steps towards our vicinity and aimed her pistol right at me.

"Judy?"

"Carrots?" 

"Hopps?"

Apparently, we all knew her by different names. I called her Judy, other officers called her Hopps but did that red fox just call her 'Carrots'? That was quite a nickname I must say. 

Judy stood directly in front of me and primed her tranquilizer pistol to fire another shot. It was nice to see her again but I wasn't fond of the current conflictive state of things. She didn't seem too happy for she had a serious look on her face and her bunny ears were pointing downward.

I didn't know much about bunnies but I supposed that having ears downward in combat was ideal because you wouldn't want the enemy to shoot them off by making yourself a bigger target.

Then again, I've never had a bunny point a gun at me. She was an excellent shot for she disabled my arm with a tranquilizer dart from all the way across the room and successfully managed to hit a weak spot in my armor. _Clever bunny._

"Cherry! Put the weapon away and stand down! Now!" she ordered.

Despite her small size, she was not weak and would do anything do protect her fellow officers from harm. She spoke with authority and meant business. After what we've been through, I felt like I let her down.

"Judy... long time no see," I said in a surprised, quiet voice.

The fox looked back and forth between us in confusion, "Wait, Carrots... you know this guy?"

"Yes I do," she replied while keeping a serious look focused on me. At this point, the guilt was really starting to settle in. "Hopps! BE careful!" the bear officer warned.

"He's armed!" 

"Watch out!"

But Judy ignored her fellow officers' warnings and was completely unphased. "He can't hurt me."

I could only imagine the thousands of questions circulating through their minds as they wondered what this was all about, who I exactly was, how Judy knew me, and how she approached me without any fear. Indeed, there was a lot of explaining and catching up to do.

Judy was clearly livid with me but she closed her eyes, exhaled, and calmed herself down. With the pistol still pointed, she approached me and calmly said, "Cherry... put the gun away... and we can talk about this later."

I realized that I had one dead arm and one arm still able to lift a pistol. She was probably right but this was my only chance to escape and we both knew where I would end up at the conclusion of this day. The pistol was still directed at the officers, I hesitated to lower it, and it pained me to know that the entrance was so close.

The only thing stopping me now was the little bunny whom I've placed so much trust in. I didn't want to admit defeat so I shook my head in frustration and sighed.

"Do as she says," the fox insisted.

The other officers were still processing all that was occurring and I realized that this conversation was only between the human, the fox, and the bunny now. Everyone else simply stood on the sidelines and marveled at how an alien such as myself didn't inflict harm on two small mammals.

They were both convincing and seemed to care everyone's safety but the same issue still came up: I'd be admitting defeat to a bunny and a fox. That was the very thing I tried to avoid and now look where my pride got me. There's no way I'd go through with this but I ended up doing the unexpected.

"Fine. I surrender."

I slowly got down on both knees and waited for them to do their procedure. _I couldn't stand any longer since my body was in so much pain._ Nothing happened for the next few seconds and the only thing they did was stare. The larger mammal officers were extremely surprised at my sudden change of inclination and dared not to lay paws on me after what I did to them.

While I gazed around at the police officers, I heard the same whoosh in the air again. Another tranquilizer dart implanted itself into my other hand, causing my entire right arm to fall down limp. Now I had two numbed arms and my nano-pistol weaponry disappeared into my suit. Not surprisingly, Judy was the one who fired the dart. _Good shot._

Once again, she exploited my armor's weakness and knew where to aim.

 _But why?_ Was it because of my unpredictable nature? I guess I couldn't blame them.

Luckily, my cybernetic enhancements prevented the dart's liquid from taking a full toll on my body. A single dosage would normally drop down a creature without question but the dart's effects only managed to affect my arms. Thus, I felt quite special until my entire body suddenly went numb. _Wait, what was happening?_

Turns out, my enhancements could only slow down the effects but they could not eliminate them entirely nor partially. On top of that, having two lodged darts would nearly double the effectiveness. So much for that...

As my vision blurred, I let out a small, nearly inaudible chuckle due to my unprecedented defeat.

Completely immobilized throughout the body, I fell flat on the hard floor with a metallic thud. I then felt the pressure from numerous animals around me as some knelt on my back, held me down in place, and applied some thick stainless steel restraints.

Unable to move my head, all I could see was colored party confetti all over the lobby floor from earlier. _What a crazy day for someone's birthday, I thought_.

As I laid on the floor, gradually losing consciousness, and drooling on the inside of my helmet, I saw a white furry figure enter the building through the main double doors. It was another police officer and I had a gut feeling that he was Officer Grizzoli.

"Hey guys!" the white wolf greeted and waved from a distance. "Sorry that I'm late! What'd I miss?"


	27. Washed-Up

_Ohhh, my head... It sure felt dead..._

_My everything hurt..._

For the space of what felt like three hours, I remembered nothing more than darkness all around. Nothing could be seen or heard. Only felt. It made me think of that time back when I found myself floating in outer space before I crash-landed on this exotic world.

So far, it's been quite the journey, and never would I have imagined myself ending up in a situation as ridiculous as this.

 _Captured by talking animals..._ I realized.. _. great..._

_While I did give them hell, I felt that I was taken in much too quickly... What a disgrace to the human race..._

_Placed into limbo..._

_But where did they take me?_

Now, as the veil of obscurity gradually lifted before my eyes, I already knew where I was. At first, I figured that it all could've been a spacious grassland field on a cloudy day.

_But why though?_

Well, there were green colors all around me, I sat on a brown patch of dirt, and the sky had an overcast stretched all over the horizon. Not exactly the rocky mountains as I originally expected but I would've easily taken it over the city. Perhaps my punishment ended up being banishment? Becoming an outcast in the middle of nowhere?

_That would've been nice..._

However, there was no wind, no breeze, and no organic grass. No natural sunlight but an artificial ceiling light with a metal cage over it. No big open field but a small closed room. The lower half of the brick walls were painted a light green color, the upper portion was painted with grey cloud colors, and the concrete floor had a light brown color.

And what were those rectangular shapes in front of me? Ah, yes, an organized array of steel bars.

_Lovely._

As I lazily panned my head around - to adjust from the tranquilizer dart's tranquilizing effects that made me more tranquil in a tranquilized way - my ears popped, my vision cleared, and my mind jolted wide awake as if I were falling out of a chair.

_I hated it when that happened. Deception by Inception..._

My entire body shook with enough force that I could both hear and feel the binding strength of clattering chains strapped to multiple points on my limbs. Goodness, they sure had me tied down well and there was no use in trying to break free.

_At least, for now._

I was too tired and feeling too much pain to do anything right now.

Beneath the chains, they also fitted me with a straight jacket with my arms tied sideways in a prayer-like position, handcuffs secured my gauntlets in place, leg cuffs kept my boots together, and upon my helmet, they happened to place a... a muzzle? Seriously? Okay... whatever... whatever made them feel secure.

Nevermind, scratch that, it had to come off.

I violently flung my head around until it slid right off. _Much much better._

But the rest of my restraints weren't coming off anytime soon, unfortunately. On the bright side, at least the straight jacket matched the color of my armor.

Turns out, I was sitting on a bench in a jail cell with my back leaning against the metal grating. Just 'chilling', as the reckless teenagers would say.

But in a jail cell? Those animals successfully placed me behind bars? In a zoo-like cage? _Oh, the irony._

 _But what a surprise..._ I mean, where else would I be? In a sauna with a white towel around my neck? Not a chance!

Man, why was I being so weird? Why was I thinking like this? I blamed it on the tranquilizer drug that miraculously got injected into me. And who's the one that did it? Ah, yes, it was her.

_My, what a shot..._

_But how did she manage?_

The nano armor around my hands must've been too thin. An ultra-fine needle shot from the right angle has a positional advantage to slip past the particles, especially if they're not tightly bonded together. Plus, having military armor that's hundreds of years old in my timeline _AND_ being in the wrong dimension wouldn't help much either.

My white armor was indeed old, aged, and it just couldn't keep up and perform as efficiently as black Seraphim armor. Granted, my armor surpassed any technological wonder of this world, including all other worlds we invaded; however, the Seraphim's pico particle armor and advanced weaponry made my suit feel like an antique.

But why rationalize? Forget about the armor. Just admit it...

...I got bested by a bunny and a fox. Go figure.

But I wasn't disappointed anymore. Rather, I found it to be quite hilarious. I could take a hit from a rhino, punch a tiger, choke a lion, smack a wolf, crush a polar bear, only to be beaten by the two smallest animals in the group. The fox was a mere distraction but the bunny definitely got me good.

True, she knew me better than anyone else in this world so she had that to her advantage.

Regardless, I found it rather impressive that she could take down an interstellar soldier such as myself. After all, my weapons were fully drawn out but she pulled out enough courage to face me. Normally I'd be angry or heavily embarrassed but I actually felt relaxed for some reason. Was it that tranquilizer solution? Did that calm me down a bit? No idea.

_Either way, I was just glad that no one died back there._

But feelings of guilt did pour into me here and there. I regretted some of my decisions while others I didn't regret at all. I took a stand, I tried, and I failed. What more could I do? The problem with being a pure human is that emotion gets in the way of decisionmaking and that's what happened back there. I held back and chose not to kill even though I was tempted multiple times to do so.

Any other colleague of mine wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger because they were all pre-programmed to dismiss those kinds of distractive emotions. I was one of the rare few to be over 70% human, meaning that I only lost less than 30% of my emotion due to cybernetic enhancements.

But as for the rest of humanity? Most lost at least 89% of their emotions. Any emotion remaining after that was reserved only for their close loved ones... if they had any. Otherwise, they'd dispose of any foreign life form that stood in their way.

Thank goodness it was me in that lobby and not some other human from my world. If that were the case, then there would be a vast shortage of body bags.

Thus, in my eyes, the situation could've been far worse; but in Zootopia's eyes, my act must've appeared awfully cruel to them. For small-scale crimes in my world, a simple man would end up in a hellish space prison. But in Zootopia, a heinous crime only put me in a humble jail such as this one here. Quite a stark difference I must say.

The jail cell appeared to be outdated but it wasn't necessarily spooky or anything. Rather, it had a basic design with enough green color to reduce the monotony and it was well lit and cozy. No laser grids, no depressing blue lights, no zero-gravity, and no eerie sounds from a dead space station. Just a simple environment with planetary gravity to keep me in place.

Nothing like my cold, empty, and depressing world...

Also, my limbs weren't cut off - as was customary for most criminals in my former society - and I was only bounded by carbon steel chains on all four limbs. Nothing too harsh except that my nose itched a bit and I couldn't scratch it.

So why does the nose always itch when we cannot scratch it? Who knows.

No matter, I deserved my situation even though I could've deserved much more for all the punches, kicks, stomps, and throws I inflicted upon those helpless animal officers. I disliked jail but it could've been much worse. It anything, it felt more like a time-out than jail.

But wait... maybe this place was simply a waiting area... until the time came for me to receive my corporal punishment? If so, then they'd need something much bigger than a wooden stick to bring me down. They wouldn't get a word out of me and I'd be ready for anything they threw towards my direction.

But based on what I did to the chief of police, he'd probably send a herd of charging rhinos up my rear instead. Not enough space to do that here so he'd need to place me in a long hallway of some sort to build up their momentum. A bowling alley, a runway, a ski slope, I'm sure they'd get creative if it meant getting revenge.

_Oh boy... the very thought of that rhino officer ramming me into that glass trophy case made my entire body ache with pain... Please no..._

All I could do now was hope for the best. _Fingers crossed_. But I literally couldn't cross them. Why? Because they happened to put my fingers in restraints as well. Seriously? I couldn't see them because the straight jacket blocked my view but I could not move my fingers around whatsoever. Yikes.

The ZPD really outdid themselves with these restraints. One could not blame them because any sane creature would do the same exact thing for their fellow brethren if a random white armored alien began punching them in a willy-nilly-like fashion.

 _What was I thinking? Why'd I do it?_ Clearly, I wasn't thinking at all. Maybe I thought I was thinking but I didn't think well enough to think.

Oh well. What's done is done.

Suddenly, the floor beneath me began to echo as I heard distant but loud chanting voices from the ZPD officers one level below that made the metal air vents vibrate a tad.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY OFFICER GRIZZOLI!" they all chanted from below.

They sang, they popped confetti, and it sounded like over thirty animals were congregated in the room below. Elephants trumpeted, lions roared, and wolves howled all together in unison. _Not gonna lie, it sounded incredible._

Their voices and lyrics were muffled by the layers of concrete barriers but there was still a significant amount of activity going on. I guess the broken glass, the bullet holes, the bruised limbs, the shattered furniture, and the spilled donuts didn't stop them from celebrating the officer's birthday.

Thank goodness though. On the bright side, at least the white wolf officer didn't get punched in the face on his birthday. Always look at the positive, I tell myself.

" ...happy birthday Grizzoli... " I said in the least charismatic way possible.

They were having their fun while I sat here with nothing to do. Bored out of my mind and unable to do anything to entertain me. No bouncy ball, no yo-yo, no rugby ball, no golf putter, no book, no tablet, no hologram, and no pull-up bar.

Noise from the lobby down below continued to resonate and - for the next couple of hours - music played and the party kept going and going. At this point, they might as well call it a victory celebration for detaining me instead of calling it a birthday celebration. Obviously, it wasn't true but it definitely sounded like it.

Whatever, let them cheer, let them chant, and let them celebrate. I gave them a hell of an evening so they ought to enjoy the night. Poor Judy's probably filling out a stack of paperwork.

But at least I was all alone. That's what I've always wanted. True, I didn't get to surround myself with stone mountains but my wish was partially complete because I ended up being surrounded by stone walls. The walls are like mountains, aren't they? Just a little smaller...

No, not at all. _Nevermind, this sucked._ This bit the hand.

This was unfortunate.

This was not ideal... This was laughable...

Now I was stuck in a Zootopian jail. Soon to be Zootopian prison after they've heard my story. What's next? The science academy? I'm sure my suit would make a neat museum piece after they've dissected my cold dead body.

But, at the minimum, I had the whole cell block to myself: A place to be stuck in my own thoughts and free to ponder the rest of the night away. Perhaps I could get a good night's rest, put a pause on my negative thoughts, and resume them for tomorrow.

...

"Hey!" a voice called.

...

_Oh, for Pete's sake..._

_..._

"Yo, over here!" it called again. "Yoo-hoo!"

"Hey, you with the face!"

Mildly irritated, I leaned forward and spotted three spotted hyenas that were two cells away. Two of them were male and had light brown fur with dark spots, a black t-shirt, matching grey jackets, and conservative-colored jeans. The female, who happened to be the largest of them, had smoky brown fur with dark spots, dark muzzle and ears, brown eyes, a black hoodie, and grey jeans.

In other words, _hideous. All of them were hideous._

Their spots reminded me of typical prisoner tattoos and their irksome grins didn't amuse me one bit. Down one more cell from them, I recognized the tiger named Andy who simply sat there and didn't act like a fool for once. _Good for him._

Now that I didn't despise the tiger as much, I had other animals to despise.

As I got a better look, I recognized one of the male hyenas from Savanna Central. The same one that Officer Hopps must've chased down. Did she end up catching all three of these hyenas? _Impressive._

They made those annoying laughs that everyone hates and continued to eyeball me for too long. Never thought I'd meet talking hyenas and they were just as annoying as they appeared on television. Maybe even worse in person.

"Well, well, well, Vonzai, what have we got here?" the female grinned, elbowing the hyena next to her. He leaned forward to get a better look.

"Hmm. I don't know, Mashenzi. Uh... what do you think, Eddy?"

The other crazy male said nothing and only started laughing hysterically. "Hooo, hooo, hooo! Ha, HA!"

"Yeah, just what I was thinking, we've got ourselves a trespasser!" "Oooh, and a trespasser that's..."

"UuuugLY!" they all exploded in laughter.

"Hey," I interrupted, "Why don't you shut the hell up?"

"Oooooh, that tingles!"

"Awww, snap!"

"Ouchies! HaHa!"

"Ha, Ho ho hooo!"

"Lookie here boys! It talks!"

"The creature has spoken, everyone!"

"HA! At least we ain't the ones all chained up!"

"Looooser!"

All three hyenas guffawed in unison. They were asking for it. 

"Yeah, and and and what are you anyhow? Huh?"

"What are ya? What are ya?" 

"Some sorta freak?"

"HAA! Freak!"

All three mockingly stared, waiting for me to respond but I kept quiet and gave them an indifferent look. Lucky for them, the chains prevented me from walking over and smashing their pathetic skulls in. My, they were too hyper and wouldn't stop moving. They must've eaten a lot of paint chips when they were little kids.

"Oooh," the female pointed towards me, "Look at dem eyes!" 

"Wooo! Soo oogly!"

"They make me shudder!"

"They be blue, blue as a jewel!"

"Kinda like dat necklace we stole, eh?" 

"Ooooh!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait wait wait... I know him."

"Yeah, he's that bunny's little _stooge."_

"From the plaza, eh?"

"Ya, the one I told ya about," 

"Yeah, he be the one."

"Ain't he?" "Oooooh, hoo-hoo"

"Wasn't he also da one who messed up all our plans?" 

"Took away our early retirement?"

"Our money!"

"Ma chance to buy a new phone!"

"My Pawtify subscription!"

"Nah, that was the bunny! Ya know, the one from TV!"

"Ah, she dat same one who solved the, uh, whatchamacallit, the Nite Hooters case?" 

"Ya mean the Night Howlers?"

"Ha! Stupid!"

"Yea, yea, that's the one I'm talkin' about!"

"Really?! So she the one who got Fred?" 

"Ha! She got me too!"

"C'mon, Vonzai!" the female hyena punched the male hyena in the shoulder, "You let your ol' sis down? You had the case in your sad little paws this whole time?"

"Yo, don't look at me, Mashenzie! Andy had that lil' necklace the whole time. I was just keepin' Mrs. Floppy Ears distracted with a decoy case, ya know."

"Oooooh, right,"

"Yeah Andy, so how'd you lose it? Huh? old buddy, old pal?"

"Did you lose it? Huh? Did-ya-did-ya-did-ya?"

"Diiiid yaaa, looose it?"

They all eagerly looked at the tiger, waiting for him to respond, but he said nothing, stared downward in disappointment, and fidgetted with his paws.

"Andyyyyy! Yoo-hoo!" the female called.

"What's wrong pal?"

"Yeah! Cat got his _own_ tongue? Eh? Ha! Get it? His own tongue... Cause he's a cat!" the male laughed hysterically. 

"It's not _that_ funny, Ed,"

"Hoooo, HAAA, hAA! HA!"

He tried to stop laughing but burst out worse. "Yo, shut up!" the female jokingly growled.

"Hoo, HEE, hee, hEE!"

The male continued to laugh, shedding tears, and would NOT stop laughing. The three hyenas got into a fight, wrestled with each other, and seemingly did so in an immaturely playful way. While they were going at each other, the tiger and I briefly exchanged gazes from across the room and we both shook our heads at the hyenas. I could tell some sense was coming back to him.

Suddenly, the metal doors at the end of the room slid open and three stocky rhinos in full SWAT gear stepped inside the jail block. One of them noticed the hyena commotion, grew irritated and made his way towards them.

"Hey!" he shouted, hitting the steel bars with his baton. "Knock it off!"

The hyenas immediately broke away, let out a mischievous smile, and tried to play innocent.

"Well, _she_ started it!" the male hyena pointed his paw at the female who gave him a squinted look. The other male hyena continued to cackle nonstop.

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!" the stocky rhino roared.

The three hyenas finally obeyed, albeit, with hesitation and reckless grins. They sat themselves down in their own respective corners and the SWAT group approached my jail cell.

They gave me a menacing snort, glared for a few seconds until one of them pulled out a large set of heavy keys. The steel grating slid open, the rhino stepped inside and stood directly in front of me. I looked up at him and then I stared back down at the ground.

Seven additional SWAT officers, all jackals, also entered the jail block and swiftly filed their way inside and formed a tight perimeter around me. They had black tactical gear but without any helmet, boots, or gloves like humans would wear. Each of them wielded an electric prod and cautiously readied themselves in case I made any sudden movements.

The other inmates crowded to the edge of their cell to get a better visual and murmured among each other while I kept my head down. After a quick moment of silence, the rhino SWAT officer squatted down to my level, attempted to look me in the eyes, and said, "It's time."

"Alright, get him up, slowly," the other big SWAT officer ordered. I couldn't help but notice a scar across his face.

A few SWAT officers kept their tools pointed my direction while the rest worked on detaching the wall restraints. Looks like it was time to move on to the next phase of the arrest. _Prison already?_ I pondered to myself.

After two of the jackals unlocked the chainlinks from my boots, the rhino officer grabbed the chain across my chest plate and pulled me up to a standing position. My sore body caused me to stumble slightly but the animal officers kept me steady and escorted me out of the cell.

As we walked, I peaked back at the inmates behind me, gave the tiger a slight nod, and he returned an awkward wave before I quickly reverted my eyes forward. I heard the hyenas quietly laugh among each other as if I were about to be sentenced to the dunk tank. However, we all knew that it'd be worse than that. Perhaps it'd be the Chinese water torture but I could care less about what the Zootopians would do to me.

We exited the cell block, passed a set of double doors, and walked through a second cell block section.

I remembered torture methods from my world were beyond the unthinkable and often used as public warnings to anyone who defied the Intergalactic Stratocracy. Of course, that was after the Seraphim gained full control of all the chief branches of government. The Prophet of Perdition - Head of the Seraphim - had his own favorite methods of torment that were so disturbing physically, spiritually, and psychologically, that most dissenters decided to join his cause.

I used to think that being burned alive and thrown into a pool of salted sewage water to drown was one of the worst forms of torture. However, once I found out what the Seraphim did to their own fellow humans who opposed them, I quickly learned that being burned alive and thrown in salted sewage water to drown was nothing compared to what they did.

My body quaked at the very thought of it and this caused some of the furry SWAT guards to be on higher alert. They must've thought that I'd attempt another escape but I had no intention of doing so.

Why bother? I'd hate to go from 4 stars to 5 stars.

Shaking my head back to reality, my thoughts gradually returned to Zootopia and I remembered that this world was far unlike the one I came from. No human soldiers with phaser rifles and no biomechanical monstrosities with energy beams erupting from their heads. None of that. Just talking animals who had no lethal weapons in their possession whatsoever.

 _But how?_ I questioned. It baffled me that Zootopians had no true offensive capabilities. Were they more focused on defending one another than attacking? Even so, they had no alloy armor, no regenerative shields, and no reliable form of protection. Just cloth, hard plastic, and maybe kevlar.

The jackals had traditional tactical gear but their vest pouches were only filled with vials of tranquilizer liquid and radio equipment. No grenades, no bullets, no knife, and no lethal. No boots, just bare feet. No gloves, just padded paws. No helmet, just pointed ears. No rifle, just an electric rod. No jetpack, just a tail.

True, the SWAT rhinos could've offered some form of an offensive measure with their horns; however, any standard phaser pistol from my world - even a civilian grade level - could drop one of these creatures in 1-2 shots.

All of this made me feel guilty about being human because we evolved to a point in which we only found more effective ways of killing and destroying each other as time went on. Nuclear weapons, antimatter bombs, neuro-toxins, ChemRails, phasers, the list could go on.

_But these animals were nowhere near that._

Even though I'm a walking weapon of lethal proportions, perhaps I could be different? Maybe I could somehow show Zootopia the good side of mankind? In my world, I knew many succeeded back when Earth's ecosystems were still intact but those days were long gone before the universe ended.

Now that Zootopia had me in their paws - unbeknownst to them, the last human - it was time to make amends. We exited the second cell block and we were now walking through the third one.

Judy and her bunny partner Nick were probably busy with their mountain-load of police reports regarding me. Thus, the least I could do was cooperate with the ZPD and try my best to stabilize the situation.

As for the fox - Officer Wilde, if I remembered his name correctly - I'm sure he and his other fox partner were long gone. If someone pointed a gun at my face, then I'd never want to see them again.

We passed the last set of holding cells - some empty, some filled with other animal crooks - and we exited the third cell block. Now we were in another standard ZPD hallway that had the same style of spotted giraffe lights like the ones downstairs. More SWAT mammals joined our group and they consisted of two large elephants, a lion, and one more rhino in full protective torso gear. None of them I recognized from earlier so they must've been summoned from another police unit.

All of them treated me like a live frag grenade that could go off at any minute. The entire building had tightened security and I wondered why.

They led me across the upper balcony of the main lobby where all the previous fighting took place. I peaked down below but there were no familiar animal officers present so they must've taken the party elsewhere or maybe gone home for the day. Hopefully, most would recover from their injuries by tomorrow.

Thus, the only animals present on the ground floor were a few zebras sweeping up the broken glass, twelve security officers of different species guarding the entrance, and two giraffes dressed in business suits were taking pictures of the bullet holes that I left in the ceiling. I guess you could say that things were getting pretty serious.

As I scanned the lobby further while walking alongside the SWAT animals, I continued to marvel at the sheer size of this location.

We were at least on the fourth floor in terms of elephant height so this entire police station had a good amount of breadth, width, and depth to it.

Outside the windows, the time was already past nightfall. The only light I'd be getting for the rest of tonight would be a bright lamp shining in my face. Unlike the Pixar lamp, it wouldn't crush the 'i' but it would certainly strain my eye. This civilization didn't have the technology for high-intensity laser grids so at least I didn't have to worry about that kind of light.

"Turn to your left,"

I obeyed the rhino and followed a narrow hallway consisting of lime green and white-colored bricks until we reached an intersection stretching both ways.

"Alright sir, turn to your right," the jackal ordered.

The jackals escorted me down yet another corridor until we reached a larger room with a handful of computer stations, vials, and what appeared to be forensic kits. Some sort of laboratory.

We stopped in place and the lion removed the heavy chains and carefully unraveled the smaller chains around me which felt nice. Using great caution and keeping the electric rods within close proximity to my neck, the elephant hesitantly removed the straight jacket from my torso. Four more SWAT officers - a wolverine, a honey-badger, a grizzly bear, and another rhino - entered the room to join us. All of them wielded long-barreled tranquilizer guns that appeared to be high pressured.

_T_ _alk about tightened security..._

"Search him." the high ranking officer ordered. "Yes, sir."

The animals immediately began feeling my body for any hidden weapons. The shorter ones checked the lower extremities while the taller ones checked the upper torso.

They couldn't find anything. At least, nothing obvious for them. "Nothing, sir."

" _Nothing_?"

"Nothing." 

"Check again."

They looked at each other with confusion but obeyed orders either way. Some even scratched my forearms to see if I pulled any clever tricks to keep my weapons hidden. Little did these fools know that my entire suit was a weapon and that my gun's nanoparticles were all part of my suit.

"Anything?" he asked impatiently. "Negative."

"Not a thing, sir,"

The rhino let out an irritated sigh. "Fine. Lock him down."

"Have a seat right here," the bear officer ordered, "Keep your feet flat on the floor,"

The elephant pulled a metal chair out and carefully guided me into it. The jackals quickly locked both my boots and my gauntlets to the legs of the chair and nothing happened for the next seven minutes.

We simply sat there in silence and listened to the quiet echos of the station.

 _What are we waiting for? Chinese new year?_ I thought to myself. Even some of the SWAT guards discreetly checked their watches and I personally wondered what we were doing here. I thought about asking one of them but I decided to remain quiet, not say a word, and only obey.

One of the jackal guards tried to keep a serious face but I caught him staring at me a few times. He pretended to remain focused and on task but I could tell that my alien-like presence sparked his curiosity. If I looked away, he would keenly stare; but, if I looked at him, he would quickly avert his gaze away.

Not just him, but the other SWAT officers around me seemed to be unsettled. Some took deep breaths, others exhaled, and a few tightened their grip on the electric prods while trying to appear confident. I could sense a pattern of nervousness so I tried to relax as much as I could to help take the edge off. My body language was the only way I could communicate and every facial emotion I had was locked behind my mask.

One thing I loved about helmets is that you could make any face you wanted and get away with it. But these animals didn't have that luxury so they were under more pressure to remain facially professional.

...

Finally, the door in the back room swung wide open and I anticipated who it could've been. I could hear footsteps getting closer and closer but nothing could be seen. The sound got louder and louder but still nothing. We all waited, or rather, I waited... but no one was there.

...

Just when I thought it was a ghost, I saw three claws pop out from behind the edge of the door. But then they retreated back. _What?_ Next, a head popped out then the other set of claws came out from behind the door. Finally, I saw three claw toes step out from behind the door, albeit slowly, and I saw a mammal that I hadn't seen before.

...

 _A sloth._ A three-toed sloth to be more specific.

She had brown fur with a cream-colored face, brown eyes, long claws the same color as her face, and a rather bulbous nose. In her head fur, there were several strips of blue hair. Her outfit consisted of a dark blue shirt with blue stripes, a white lab coat, lab glasses, and a necklace with a blue pendant. Upon her friendly looking face, she also had a sleepy expression.

She gave everyone a slow, lazy wave as she gradually approached us with a painfully lagged speed. Watching her walk unhurriedly felt worse than watching a Youtube video at 0.25-speed. The door she came in was only 17 feet away and yet it took her a good 170 seconds to reach my position.

What's up with her? Were all sloths like this? I looked back and forth between the two SWAT officers next to me for clarification and one of them simply gave me a solemn nod of admission. Turns out, I wasn't the only one going crazy here.

With no rush whatsoever, she pulled up a metal chair next to me that painstakingly skidded and scratched across the hard floor. She then sat herself down at the same rate that peanut butter flows out of an upside-down jar and lazily examined me from head to toe.

"Thank you for joining us at this late hour, Hurriet," the rhino greeted, "We have the suspect here for testing and we're ready whenever you are."

She blinked her eyes slowly, leaned forward with a slouch, and rested her paws/claws on the table between us. A few seconds passed before she finally opened her mouth.

"Of... course... let's... get... started... ...............Your... paw... please."

The jackal unlocked one of the handcuffs so I placed my gauntlet on the counter and waited for her to do whatever she was going to do. She carefully looked at my hand for thirty seconds, marveled at its armored appearance, and slowly tapped one of my knuckles with her claws.

Next, she slowly raised her paw to her forehead as if she had a headache.

"Oh... dear... I... seem... to... have... forgotten... my... testing... kit... Please... wait... right... here... I'll... be... right... ........back..."

If watching the grass grow wasn't painful enough, then watching her stand up felt like an eternity. The rhino officer let out a low sigh and the forensic sloth eventually made her way to a glass cabinet and pulled out a set of keys to unlock it. Of course, she had to drop the keys so one of the jackal officers went over to assist her with the cabinet.

By the time the female sloth returned back to her respective chair, my arm had fallen asleep for it had dangled at my side for quite a while. I began to wonder if I was going to die in this chair since she took her precious time.

Either way, she scrupulously lifted the lid on the plastic kit and pulled out a large pad of green ink, a couple of towelettes, and some clear liquid. The entire process to unpack the silly kit took a good five minutes but I had nothing else to do.

"Right... paw... here... .......please," she said, pointing to a paper pad on the table.

To be nice, I decided to mimic her speed to a certain extent by meticulously lifting my hand and carefully preparing to rest it on the table. Even I couldn't stand how slow I moved but at least my speed only slightly surpassed hers.

She opened her mouth and said, "...Faster... please..."

_Y_ _ou gotta be kidding me._

At that moment, I quickly plopped my gauntlet down on the table and the SWAT officers crowded around me as a precaution. The forensic sloth was physically unable to get all jittery so she proceeded in sanitizing my gauntlet, lifted it, and firmly pressed it into the green ink pad. Finally, she lifted it again and firmly pressed it into the white paper.

This entire process felt so weird to me. Not necessarily because of how slow it all was but rather the technology to get a print felt so old-fashioned. In my world, we'd simply use a 3D scanner to capture a suspect's hand anatomy but Zootopia still had the outdated methods.

I lifted my gauntlet but the lack of surface area didn't leave a well-defined handprint on paper. This seemed to baffle the officers a bit and the forensic sloth took plenty of her own time to react to the lack of a paw print that she expected.

She leaned forward, stared at the jagged green paint marks, open and closed her eyelids three times, and said, "Curious... very... curious... in... deed...,"

Seven minutes later, she finally did my other hand, cleaned them both from the green ink, and kept calling them paws. These animals just couldn't get my anatomy right and they never would.

"Do... you... mind... telling... me... what... you... ...are?" 

I didn't respond.

She then tried to draw a blood sample with a needle but the tip got bent once it met with my forearm. Confused, the only thing left to do was to slowly dispose of it in the trash bin. _Awkward_. It was evident that Zootopia had never dealt with an alien before. Let alone, a new species.

I found it rather amusing that they assumed my armor was both clothing and hard skin. Not once did they try to pry it open and it must've been incredibly strange to them; especially if they could feel its alloy properties.

Looking at her clipboard, the written results were almost too few to be helpful but that's all they could extract from me. At least, for now. Nevertheless, the forensic specialist decided that it was sufficient enough.

"You... are... all... good... to... ...go," the sloth blinked and departed.

Without a second to spare, the jackal SWAT members placed the cuffs back on both my arms, straight jacket back on, and the brawny lion lifted me back up into a standing position.

"We appreciate it, Hurriet," the lion nodded, escorting me out of the room while the other officers followed along.

The forensic sloth opened her mouth, ever so slowly, blinked a few times, and finally let out a smile. "I'll... have... this... analyzed... in... no... time ..............flat."

 _Good luck with that_ , I pondered.

Hopefully, the ZPD didn't have any more sloths employed; otherwise, I might've tried escaping again. I'm sure those types of animals had great attention to detail even though reasonable delivery time wasn't so much their forte.

Meanwhile, we went into another room at the far end of the station that had lights, a camera, a height chart, and a male cheetah officer positioned at the camera. He wasn't the same fat one from earlier but he still gave me the same perplexed look that everyone else had been giving me since I arrived in Zootopia.

The officers escorted me into the dim room and I noticed that the height chart extended all the way up to twenty feet before it ended. I couldn't imagine why on Earth they'd need such a tall chart but then I remembered that this city had giraffes in it.

"Stand on the yellow square," the cheetah directed me.

I spotted the taped square directly at the chart's base and took a step inward. I faced forward, awaited further instruction, and listened to the indistinct chatter occurring between the rhino and the cheetah. They both whispered to each other, the cheetah rapidly flipped through a records book, his eyes grew wide, and the rhino simply nodded in confirmation that whatever he was looking at was true.

The bright camera lights made my armor gleam intensely and the white color gave off a brightness that lit up the entire room by a few notches. It felt like picture day all over again except that a whole bunch of animals were staring at me instead of humans.

They all marveled at my nonnative appearance and one of the jackals even took out a small notebook and jotted a few notes down. To break the silence, the cheetah cleared his throat, adjusted the camera, and said,

"Please look at the top light."

A green light lit up a hair above him so I placed my focus on it. The camera flashed. The cheetah took a deep breath. "Good, now look at the bottom light."

Another green light illuminated just a hair below the camera so I took a quick glance at it. The lens flashed again. "Alright, look at the top light again."

Another flash...

"That's it, now the bottom one."

And another bright flash... The cheetah paused in deep thought, took a deep breath, and then exhaled. Finally, he turned to the rhino in charge, and solemnly nodded.

"Okay, got it."

_W_ _ell, that was fast._

The officers grabbed a hold of me and led me out the door. Just like that, we were all finished with the mugshots. Never in my life had I done a single mugshot until this very moment. I had to admit, we finished that photo op in less than 70 seconds and that couldn't be a coincidence.

 _Now they had my photo. The very thing I fought so hard to avoid._ How was I not freaking out about this? Normally, I'd be fretting but I felt too relaxed for some unexplainable reason. Was it because I already admitted defeat? The tranquilizer liquid from earlier, perhaps? There was something internally wrong with me but I couldn't grasp why. Apathy was a possibility or my body was merely kicking into a 'whatever' status for lack of a better term.

 _I'm going to regret this,_ I thought. Technically, I already regretted many things but I knew further regret would follow suit.

We moved through a series of passageways that started off fancy - wooden doors, wooden panels, soft lights, and tree plants - until they eventually transitioned into practical - iron doors, grey bricks, long fluorescent lights - as we moved deeper into the back of the police station.

Every step I took made a metallic echo whereas the SWAT officers hardly made any sounds with their padded steps. I felt much like a robot marching along these corridors and the officer's ears kept perking up as if they were trying to adjust to a new alien creature in captivity.

We came to a dead-end with a wide steel door and we stopped in front of it while the rhino officer pulled out a large set of keys.

With slight difficulty, he slid the heavy door open and directed us inside. There were a number of smaller rooms but the one he took us to was as typical as anyone could get. _The interrogation room._

It had one metal table, two metal chairs, and one glass mirror with a one-way view. Since Zootopia was nothing like my world, I initially found this room to be decent and manageable. However, it was awfully small and bordered by thick concrete walls. The jackals sat me down, cuffed me to the chair, double-checked the restraints to ensure they were properly locked.

"Is he secure?"

They triple checked. "All set,"

"We've got him locked down, sir"

"He's not going anywhere." 

"Good. Is the chief informed?"

"He's in a meeting sir but he's been made aware."

"Alright. Rally up the rest of the unit, head to the lobby,"

The jackals nodded and slowly filed their way out of the room. They peaked back to quadruple check that I was indeed secure but their grey boss gestured them away. The rhino glared intently at me and gave off a menacing presence.

...

"Interrogation's at 0900," the rhino grunted. "Step out of line, you deal with me,"

...

He waited for me to respond but I kept my head down and waited for him to leave. My previous encounter with a rhino officer didn't work out last time so I thought it wise to keep quiet and not ask for any more trouble.

Finally, the rhino left the room and closed the metal door behind him. He locked it down and on the other side, I could hear three more heavy-duty doors being locked as he stomped away.

 _W_ _ait... Did that mean I'd be stuck here for the next seven hours?_ What was I supposed to do during that time?

For the next twenty-seven minutes, I sat as still as a marble statue and didn't move an inch. My body got restless so I rocked myself back and forth a couple of times as much as I could until it felt awkward. My arms were cuffed so I couldn't play drums with the table. The legs were also cuffed so I couldn't do any sort of tap dancing. My neck was free to rotate so I rolled my head around a few times until I became lightheaded.

Discouraged, I tilted my neck back but the bright ceiling light gave me a migraine so I tilted my head forward. However, one of the large chains around my chest obstructed my chin so I couldn't rest my head comfortably.

I slanted my neck to the left, felt comfortable for a while until I felt a slight strain. So I slanted my neck to the right. Likewise, I also felt the same strain but couldn't use my gauntlet to massage it. Not only that but my nose began to itch like crazy and I was powerless to do anything about it. Ever since I came to this world, I felt like the animal furs that freely floated in the air were a culprit to my minor allergies.

But that was completely manageable compared to how the rest of my body felt. Though, I gradually got better, sitting upright in a metal chair didn't provide the most ideal method of recuperation. If anything, it slowed the process. Everything still felt bruised from the chest down and reclining flat on the cold hard floor would've been preferable for the next couple of hours but I was locked in place and unable to adjust.

Come to think of it, my experience in the lobby felt similar to that one battle on Pandora. The aliens against the blue natives. At one point, the humans were winning, they had the technological advantage, and they had powerful mech suits with a state of the art design. Granted, they didn't have nanotech but the overall idea was the same.

The human victory was near and the natives stood no chance. However, nature decided to play the UNO card and that's when the Hammerhead Titanots came charging in, along with the rest of the animals of Pandora. The battle was no longer humans against aliens; rather, it was humans against animals and the humans lost miserably. Their clanky metal suits were no match against the extraterrestrial rhinos and, much like me, they flew across the battlefield and landed with a hilarious clonk.

But I, like the human general, wouldn't give up without a fight so we both stood up and declared, _it's not over yet._ However, what happened next? You guessed it. A random extraterrestrial female came out and saved the day. Like Judy, the native named Neytiri shot two projectiles at the alien invader and we both collapsed in defeat. If I recalled correctly, she shot two at Quaritch. How many did Judy shoot? And didn't Judy and Neytiri both have tails? Again, what a coincidence.

 _At least I didn't die though._ Getting taken down by two tranquilizer darts felt lame but getting taken out by two arrows must've been an epic way to die.

Now I was losing my mind. I kept thinking about movies for the next hour and replaying them inside of my head. That Avatar movie series came out over 300 years ago and yet it became an all-time classic like the Wizard of Oz and the Godfather. A bit of a recycled plot for sure but the visuals were undeniably splendid for its time.

Speaking of splendid, I wished this room was the same.

It was dim, dull, dank, and definitely not like Pandora. Everything felt cramped, substandard, smelled like a zoo, and had paw prints all over the wall and the glass mirror from past animal suspects. I spotted a few deep claw marks along the tabletop and tried to guess which animal could've taken the time to make them. Whoever it might've been, the must've had way too much time on their hands. Or, in this case, paws. This room was indeed old, had a long history to it, and was only used for the worst animal suspects of Zootopia because it had severe boredom etched all over it.

All in all, it could've been worse but it also could've been better. At least the room had some character to it.

For the next half hour, I stared into the glass one-way mirror and wondered if anyone or anything was on the other side. My helmet's heat vision was disabled long before I landed on this world so all I had was a broken tool in my toolbox with no chance of it being fixed. My reflection gave off an eerie appearance, especially with the flickering light fixture above me, and I could only imagine what the animals here thought of me.

My eyelids grew heavy but the bright light didn't help much with my desire to sleep. I preferred to doze off in either pitch-black environments or under the stars but I wouldn't be getting either one of those tonight. Thus, all I could do was wait until morning. My stomach growled, my throat grew dry, and my bruised body became restless as the minutes passed.

_Goodness, this was going to be a long night._

Silence took over the room and the only sounds I could hear were the buzzing electricity from the lights, my throat swallowing, and my heart beating. Seven minutes passed but nothing happened.

...

...

...

One of the ceiling air vent covers suddenly fell to the floor, making a loud clanking sound.

"What the...?" I muttered.

This caused me to jump slightly and I had no idea what just happened.


	28. Close Encounter

The air vent cover from the ceiling had fallen to the floor by means that can only be explained...

Either this room was falling apart or someone forgot to tighten the bolts. _What a surprise._ I grew tired of surprises and just wished to have a quiet, peaceful night. Was that too much to ask?

I heard a few footsteps coming from the above air vents. Was this place infested with raccoons or something? Nevermind, this was Zootopia. But who or what exactly would be in the ventilation system? The maintenance crew, perhaps?

A figure popped its head through the opening, dropped his backpack to the floor, jumped down from the ceiling, and made a soft landing with his paws.

As the light shone upon him, his fur didn't light up as black or gray at all. Not like a raccoon. Rather, his fur lit up with brilliant red color.

It was him.

That same red fox with the smirky grin from earlier. He wore the same police uniform but in a more casual fashion. His sleeves were rolled up, his tie was loosened, shirt untucked, and he carried a small backpack instead of his usual utility belt.

 _Another surprise._ Though, I didn't know what to say. For his own sake, he'd better have a good reason to be here.

"Hey buddy, did you miss me?" he smiled moving closer. He leaned on the table and we simply stared at each other for a few moments.

"Wilde?" I asked, thinking it was all a dream.

"The one and only," he gestured to himself.

He looked around the room, examined the area, and smirked at all the chains wrapped around my armor. I guess he thought it was funny for some reason. He crossed his arms and lightly chuckled at me.

"Well... that went well." he sarcastically commented, with a single shrug, "I told you so."

He made me think back to the lobby and all the craziness that happened there. I hated proving him right but I couldn't hide it anymore.

I clenched both fists. "Why are you here?"

"Thought I'd come check on you," he replied, walking a lap around me and inspecting my restraints, "Hmm, not too comfortable, is it?"

"No..." I shook my head, not knowing what else to say to a talking fox.

"So, you're the Chair Bum, right?"

The creaking metal chair and the straight jacket made me feel like one but I didn't respond.

"Or was it Cherry Bun?" he pondered out loud, "Boy, I remember Carrots telling me but it sounded so strange,"

"It's _Cheribim_ ," I corrected, feeling displeasure towards the fox.

He casually nodded. "Well, that is a strange name, not gonna lie. Carrots wasn't joking after all."

"Speaking of strange, why do you keep saying carrots?" I asked.

He grinned. "Well, that's what she gets for being my partner."

I scoffed. "Another fox?"

"Ha! You're looking at the only one on the ZPD, buddy," 

"Oh, let me guess... the bunny?" I joked, thinking it would've been the most unorthodox team-up.

However, the fox snapped his finger and pointed at me, "Correctamundo,"

"What?" I was honestly expecting to be wrong since foxes and bunnies were enemies in nature. But, then again, both shared the same characteristic of being small and agile. So this pesky fox was Judy's partner this entire time then? Summing everything up from Bunnyburrows - the phone conversations, the texts, the little hints here and there - it all finally made sense. 

"That's right," he smiled, sitting back in the chair, and placing his legs on the table. "I wouldn't trade her for anyone else in the world."

I could sense an intimate relationship going on.

"Since my former con days, I never really liked cops, not one bit." he continued. "But when I met her, things changed, and, well, here I am today working with the fluff. Crazy, huh?"

"Quite," I nodded, thinking back to the whole relationship between predators and prey in general. Wolf and sheep, fox and bunny. Opposites attracting and working side-by-side. "So you're the one who helped crack the big case?"

"After she pulled me by the tie, yes." he chuckled, "It was against my will, let me tell ya, but I'm actually happy that she did it."

I recalled that time when Judy told me all about her partner and now I was meeting him face-to-face. Never did I imagine him being a sly fox but Judy spoke great wonders about him and always threw out numerous hints. It took me long enough.

"So where's Judy?" I wondered.

"Well, thanks to you, Mr. Cherry Blossom, Carrots and Chief Bogo are both stuck in a lengthy meeting. Talking about you, of course."

"For how long?"

"They're in overtime now."

"Oh boy..."

" 'Oh boy' is right."

"Must be serious,"

"You have no idea, pal," he said shaking his head, "I gotta tell ya, it wasn't easy to get here. I had to sneak my way in."

"But why?" I wondered since the fox was a cop.

"Well, they got the whole station on lockdown," the fox explained. "The ZIA, ZCC, ZBI, the typical, they're all here."

I shrugged. "I don't know what those acronyms mean but I get the idea."

"The Zootopia Intelligence Agency, The Zootopia Center for C--"

"I get it." I interrupted. "They all start with a 'Z'. As does everything else in this city." 

"Way to be observant," the fox clapped, "If the whole party's here, then you know how much trouble you're in,"

"Honestly, I don't,"

"Well, I can say it's a darn bummer you got yourself in this kind of predicament. A Cherry-bummer if that's what your species calls it." He threw his paws up in representation of my humorous defeat, "I tried to warn you, pal."

We both sat in silence for the next minute and I felt amused by the fact that a talking fox was giving me company. Not sure why he came here but having someone to talk to was a good change in pace. Human, animal, Siri, whatever.

At this point, I didn't care what would happen because there's no way the Zootopian government would treat me any worse than the Intergalactic Stratocracy.

While I remained in deep thought, the fox kept staring and his gaze of fascination was starting to get distracting. A little company never hurts but I grew increasingly desirous that he'd leave.

"Why are you still here?" I asked.

"Hmm." he pondered out loud with a smirk. "To put it simply, I wanted to get a better idea of who I arrested yesterday."

I rolled my eyes. _He did not arrest me and I placed him in a chokehold_. There was no way he'd forget that.

"Plus, after that little light show in the lobby," he continued, "I had to find out more about you."

"Didn't Judy tell you?"

"Well, Carrots told me a little bit before she got summoned into a meeting so I couldn't hear everything."

I looked at all the chains around me and realized there was no walking away from this conversation, "You have me now officer, I'm not going anywhere."

This made him smile. "Good, good, good. Because I have a lot of questions to ask but not much time."

 _Thank goodness_ , I thought. The sooner the better.

He leaned forward to whisper, "The ZIA doesn't know I'm here and I prefer to keep it that way."

I nodded in understanding, "What would you like to know?"

"Okay, first of all... where's your mouth?"

 _He's got to be joking._ I tilted my head like he was crazy. "Huh?"

"Because I can hear you talk but I don't see an actual mouth," he squinted to look at my helmet, "No fangs either." 

I sighed. "Are you really going to lead with that question?"

He nodded. "I sure am."

 _He wasn't joking._ Thus, I nodded _._ "Yes, I have a mouth."

His face filled with confusion. "Where is it then? I'm getting the impression that your voice lines are recorded." 

"They're not." I clarified while trying to point with my shoulder since my arms were restrained. "My mouth's right here," 

"Well, I'm not seeing it," he shrugged.

I was tired of explaining myself so I had to tell him. "It's beneath my mask,"

His eyes widened. "Wait a minute, that's a mask?" he pointed.

I gave a slight nod. "It is,"

"No wonder you look like a freaky lab experiment, no offense to you," he smirked.

"None taken," I said. Without the furry ears, it must've been out of the ordinary.

He amusingly leaned forward, "Let's see your real face then," 

I shook my head. "Never."

"Why?" he mockingly wondered, "Is someone camera _shy?"_

"No," I answered firmly, "Because I don't trust you," 

He scoffed. "You don't, huh?

"Judy may, but I do not."

"Well, what's new? If you're only gonna see me as an untrustworthy fox, there's no point in trying to be anything else." 

I leaned forward. "Listen, you're not the only one. I have a synonymous distrust with almost everybody."

"And look where that got you, buddy," he reminded.

I said nothing and continued to clench both fists. This fox had been here far too long and I just wanted him to go.

"Well then," he continued. "If you do _actually_ have a mouth and you're not some alien robot, then I got something for ya,"

From his backpack, the fox pulled out an object wrapped up in colored napkins and placed it on the table. He removed the wrapping to reveal a bright-colored pastry. It had white frosting, colored sprinkles, and a dark blue caking. 

It looked quite tasty, very desirable, and made the whole room less depressing thanks to its fresh bakery scent. It was too good to be true.

What's this?" I asked.

"It's from the birthday party," he said. "Thought I'd save you some."

I couldn't believe it. "You brought it... for me?"

"Just for you, big guy" he grinned, sliding the cupcake closer to me. "Don't want you feeling left out now, do we?"

The urge to accept his gesture was too great.

"I might have sat on it at some point," he said. "But I imagine that it'll taste the same."

The cake's frosting did have a few dents here and there but the overall appeal made the tiny imperfections negligible. Hungry, I reached forward only to forget that my gauntlets were chained down. Not even my arms could move.

I let out a sigh and this seemed to amuse the fox.

 _W_ _as he taunting me?_ Not much appreciated. The muffin may have been out of my reach but it wasn't out of my sight. Nonetheless, he was in control and could probably hear my bellyache.

"Here," he said reaching behind him, "This sly fox just so happens to have a key."

From his bushy red tail, he pulled out a small hidden ring of keys and fingered his way through them. _What was he thinking?_ He found the correct key and attempted to unlock my restraints.

"Wait," I interrupted, which made him freeze in place, "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" he smirked, "I'm not gonna spoon-feed ya."

I shook my head in doubt as I watched him undo the small chains before unlocking the bigger ones. This little fox was taking a risk that I personally wouldn't take if I were him.

"Are you sure?" I asked, questioning his judgment, "After what I did to you?"

He paused for a brief moment, reflected, grinned, and then resumed with the unlocking.

"Boy, that was something, wasn't it?" he said, climbing onto the back of my chair to unlock the bigger chains. "Well, I think I'll just take my chances."

The large chains slid off my shoulders and made a loud clank on the floor. My torso literally felt as light as a feather and I was able to slide the straight jacket off after he loosened it. Following that, he undid the handcuffs.

"There you go," he said, brushing his paws.

All that remained were the leg cuffs so I bent over to remove them and the fox attempted to assist me. 

"Don't. I got this." I assured.

He shrugged and took a step back to give me space as I forcefully snapped the cuffs and broke the chains. One-piece flung across the room and ricocheted off the wall.

"Wow," he marveled, "Aren't you strong."

I simply shrugged at the fox and quickly turned my head towards the muffin. My arms were finally free so I wasted no time in grabbing the muffin and prepared to partake of it. 

If he honestly thought that bringing me a cupcake would earn my trust, then was definitely on the right track.

However, before I took a bite, I stopped and looked back at the fox. "You washed your paws, right?"

"Well...," he pondered. "Before I got myself into that vent and scratched my nose, yes,"

I hesitated but then my stomach growled. Good thing this wasn't a virtual lesson for food handler's permits.

"Whatever," I said before I immediately took a big bite. The nano-particles near my mouth cleared a path and allowed the deliciously moist cake to enter my system. The nano barrier didn't move too fast with the white frosting, probably because of the high sugary content, but the blueberries had no trouble passing through the helmet's barrier.

While enjoying the wonderful treat, I caught the fox staring with his mouth hanging slightly open, teeth exposed, and his left ear twitching. Of course, he wasn't used to what he was seeing.

"Okay, that just got weird," he admitted.

"You get used to it," I said while taking another bite. The cake really hit the spot and some frosting got stuck on the outer part of my helmet. Luckily, the fox signaled this to me so that I could wipe it away.

We both sat across from each other and the fox tried to guess the mysterious technology behind my helmet. He wasn't the type to ask questions but he observed every move I made.

"Well, that was quite the rehearsal in the lobby today," he commented. "And to think that you would've escaped so easily." 

I set the muffin down and finished swallowing.

"I almost did," I said.

"Well, you tried. That's all I can say."

He gave me a silly head tilt before stealing a small piece of my muffin. I hoped to have it all for myself but at least he spared me the calories. 

"So, you gonna try again?" he asked.

"Try what?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Escaping?"

I shook my head. "Not this time,"

"Bout time you made a wise decision," he teased with a smirk, "Too bad you didn't do that earlier."

"Oh well,"

"So, are you nervous about the interrogation tomorrow? It's gonna be a big day for ya," 

"Not really."

"Well, how bad can it be? Right?"

"It can't be worse than hearing you talk."

"Boy, that's the spirit." he sarcastically said.

I shrugged and continued to nibble at the muffin. To be honest, it was nice having some company, even if it came from a fox. Compared to most humans in my world, this fox was fairly laid back. He expressed a lot of emotions with is half-lidded eyes, his mischievous smirks, and his curious stares. Annoying, without a doubt, but still a curious little creature.

I didn't like him staring while I was eating so I decided to break the silence. "How's your neck?"

He placed a paw on the lower part of his head and began to rub it. "Oh, you know, it stings. Gotta love that,"

"That's too bad," 

"Well, it's nothing that I can't handle," he said proudly. "You can't get to a fox that easily."

"Yeah, you seem fine. You're still talking."

"Right. But it still hurts," he tilted his head and massaged the side of his neck.

I must've held his neck a little too tightly but that's what happens when hubris gets the best of someone. Luckily he was still alive; otherwise, I never would've received this muffin.

"You know, I've been grabbed by plenty of polar bears before," he continued. "But never by an animal like you,"

My mouth was full so I had to chew for a few more seconds before responding. "Yes, well, you were a pain in my neck too."

The fox chuckled. "So we're even then?" 

I looked around the room and thought about it. "I suppose we are."

After pondering for a moment, I stuffed the last piece of muffin into my mouth, wiped the crumbs off my gauntlets, and rolled up the cupcake paper. _My, that was tasty._

The fox then pulled out a water bottle and set it on the table for me. _Why was he doing this?_ He was trying to play as the peacemaker and get on my good side. No matter, my body thirsted greatly and I remembered that I hadn't had a drink since nearly two days ago.

"Well, you must be thirsty after yesterday's little showdown, no?

I gave a slight nod.

Before I could grab the bottle, he untwisted the cap for me and pushed the water closer. I could've done it myself but he had to get involved. Either way, he was probably trying to be friendly so I took the drink. 

I gave a thumbs up. "Thanks,"

"Anytime," he said, with his full attention on me and the bottle. "I gotta see how you drink this."

I took a swig and the helmet's nano-particles formed a filter to allow the refreshing liquid to pass through. Much like a kid, the fox leaned forward to marvel at it but I only cared about feeling hydrated once more.

"Wow, now that's interesting..." he scratched under his chin. "So what are you exactly? Carrots said something like... hue-man... or hoo-men."

"Human," I corrected, taking a sip, "But close enough,"

"Never heard of it," he remarked, "I've seen my fair share of crazies in both my con days and my time being a cop. But you, my friend? Well, you definitely take the trophy."

I tried to imagine all the animals he has come across in his lifetime.

"I'm honored," I said.

"You're welcome. Now, are you an endangered species or... some sort of eccentric lab experiment... ?" 

I pondered for a moment and answered, "Both, perhaps,"

"How about an alien?" he ventured, "Does that sound about right?"

I lifted both my alloy gauntlets in front of me, admired their armored design on both sides, and then I compared them to his furry paws.

"What makes you think I'm an alien?" I asked.

"Easy." he declared with a chuckle. "Boy, I'd say just about everything on you stands out like a sore tail."

I looked at myself in the one-way mirror across the room and I could only agree with the fox. We both gazed at each other's reflections, I nodded, and said, "Just a little bit."

"And speaking of 'tail', I believe this belongs to you." The fox opened his bag once more and pulled out a folded piece of white fluff. _He found my makeshift tail,_ albeit, it was slightly damaged and warped.

I was surprised. "Where'd you find it?"

"You left it stuck in the cruiser door, you big goof." he fluffed up the tail, "Might want to strap that beauty back on."

I grabbed the tail and surveyed the damage. "A little late for that,"

The fox shrugged. "Better late than never,"

Out of nowhere, his phone suddenly made vibrating sounds. He pulled it out and snoozed the notification.

"Well, speaking of 'late', I gotta go," he sighed while quickly gathering up his belongings, "Unlike you, buddy, I don't wanna get caught; plus, my friend can only keep the security cameras down for so long, you know."

"Of course," I said, trying to think of what else to say. "I appreciate the cupcake."

"Nothing but the best," he boasted with a grin. "Try not to have too much fun with the interrogation tomorrow." 

"We'll see."

He stood up. "I wish you the best of luck, buddy. I hope you survive."

"I'm counting on it."

"Don't let them see that they get to you," he advised.

"And don't let the door hit you on the way out," I added.

"Actually, think you could give me a boost?" he asked, pointing at the air vent on the ceiling. "Shouldn't be too hard for a big guy like you,"

I let out an annoyed sigh but decided to stand up and help, "Only because of the cake," I reasoned.

"Glad to hear," he smiled with half-lidded eyes, "That ought to tie you over for a few hours."

"At least an hour," I figured.

"That's right," he said while surveying me one more time. He probably would've kept at it but his phone notification went off a second time. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I gotta run," he said hurriedly.

"Yes, thank you, Officer..."

"Wilde. Nick Wilde." he smiled in a friendly way while extending his red, black padded paw.

He expected me to shake it. I hesitated for a moment but he did bring me the cake after all. Thus, I carefully shook his paw while trying not to crush it with my gauntlet. Goodness, it sure felt weird shaking a fox's paw.

"Pleasure," I said, trying to sound sincere.

He marveled while looking at his paw and comparing it with my hand, "Wow. Now that's what I'd call a close encounter." 

Whatever he meant by that, I looked at my own paw, err, hand, and realized how foreign it was compared to his. I found it strange that he had thumbs like me which suggested that animals here evolved enough to have the digits for texting. However, instead of five fingers, they only had four; instead of armor/skin, they had fur; and instead of having that extra middle finger, they couldn't give the bird for it was physically impossible to do so.

He wouldn't shake his thoughts so I decided to shake mine. "Time for you to go," I reminded.

"Alright, cup your paws for me."

Instead, I grabbed Nick by the back of his shirt and lifted him up towards the vent opening. He grabbed hold and pulled himself through the shaft.

"See you later, big guy!" he saluted. "Carrots and I will probably see you again. Hang in there."

He then crawled away and disappeared into the vent. Silence filled the room and I was all alone again. The metal grate cover was still on the floor so I picked it up to close off the vent opening.

"Thanks, Nick" I whispered, even though he was already long gone.

I plopped back down on the chair and raised my head in satisfaction. We were already past midnight but a sugary snack kept my morale up.

However, due to those same sugars, my eyes grew heavy with sleep so I rested my head on the table and prepared to get a couple of hours of rest. I realized that my handcuffs were no longer attached to my body so that would definitely raise some red flags in the next few hours.

 _Should I put them back on?_ I felt much better not having them. Perhaps it'd be worth the trouble.

But while I was free, I decided to get some air so I removed my helmet and set it on the table. I also put my legs up and relaxed as much as I could. Peaking at my reflection, I noticed how many questions my human face would raise so I quickly placed the helmet back on and returned to my former seating position.

With nothing else to do for the next three hours, I placed my face flat on the table and rested my eyes. I never fell asleep but I felt myself going through some strange time warp that seemingly fast-forwarded me about 2.5 hours into the future. Almost morning.

It's like that time when you're a student or a full-time worker: You wake up all tired, tell yourself that you can sleep for 5 more minutes, but then those 5 minutes turn into 15 minutes and so forth. It's terrible to experience because it would've been better to wake up in the first place as the alarm went off. 

You sleep in, you're late, and you're rushed. In some cases, there's no time for breakfast.

Pressing the snooze button just doesn't seem to work. We trick ourselves into thinking that those extra minutes of sleep will make a difference. However, they don't.

...

...

...

It was nine 0'clock and still nothing. Wasn't my interrogation supposed to start?

...

...

...

Now it was fifteen minutes past nine. Still nothing. Why is the government always late? 

...

...

...

Now it was seventeen minutes past nine.

Suddenly, I heard the main door being unlocked. I sat straight up and got myself into position.

The metal door swung wide open and I spotted my interrogator. She was wearing glasses, had a notebook in her paws, and appeared to be either a female jackal or coyote. I couldn't really tell.

Upon seeing me, she looked nervous but quickly composed herself. She was fairly young-looking and seemed to be brave because she gestured the rhino guards to remain outside.

The metal door closed behind her and she tiptoed closer to me and took a deep breath.

"Mr. Cheribim," she eagerly greeted. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

I tilted my head. "We?"

"Yes," she answered. "After all this time, we finally found you."

She pulled up a chair and sat across from me. Upon the table, she opened up a case file and revealed a peculiar image. 

"Now... my name is Rebecca Pawts, ZIA," she said. "For this morning, I will be your interrogator. Rest assured, no harm will come to you and if you cooperate then we can settle this relatively quickly. Sound good?" 

I looked around the room, paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Shoot."

"So..." she continued. "What can you tell me about the crater in Bunnyburrows?"


	29. In-Terror-Gation

_Oh boy..._

They knew.

The ZIA was on to me.

She asked about the Bunnyburrow crater but I didn't want to speak of it. Not one bit. I had no words and all I could do was sit in mere silence and take one deep breath. I was going to need it.

She patiently waited for me to answer while twirling her pen with her paw. It was a neat trick but it wasn't helping me feel any better.

"Crater?" I asked, pretending to be confused. "What crater?"

She opened up her notebook and pulled out a photograph. "This one."

She placed it on the table and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the familiar forestal area where my entire journey started in this strange world. My mind flooded with flashbacks and images of when I first crash-landed from outer space.

_They actually found the crater._ It was clearly evident in the aerial image with the massive dirt mound displaced from the impact. There was no hiding from this. Surely, I was in big trouble.

 _"Wait a minute,"_ a voice called from an intercom. _"What happened to his restraints?"_

I looked to my right and the source came from the one-way mirror. Turns out, we weren't alone and they must've had animals observing from the other side of the glass panel of the interrogation room.

 _"Security! Restrain him!"_ a male voice barked.

The metal door slid open and two rhino guards with long taser rods poured into the room to detain me. However, the young jackal stood up and held her paws out.

"Stop!" she ordered, causing the two rhino guards to freeze in place. "I've got the situation under control!"

The rhino folded his arms. "Director Pawts, you must understand that this creature is--"

"--I know what I signed up for," she interrupted. 

"But, we cannot allow--"

"--He's not going anywhere," she affirmed. "I'll be fine."

 _Was she sure about that?_ I thought. It sounded like she meant business.

The two rhinos looked at each other with hesitation but ultimately decided to obey the young jackal and leave the room.

Her bravery was admirable but I doubted the little animal's ability to keep an intergalactic soldier cooped up in this cramped room. Either way, she seemingly knew what she was doing and I had no fiery intention of trying to escape again. 

"Just so you know..." she continued while taking a deep breath. "I may be an intern... but I know Zaekwondo so don't even think about messing with me. Sound good?"

I would've loved to see her try but I too decided to obey and remain in place. After all, I'd hate to get painfully tackled by another rhino. The longer these animals felt like they had power, the better off things would be until they've settled down. Thus, I said nothing, did nothing and gave a slight nod.

"Great," she said while sitting herself down. "And sorry we're late. We had a difficult time finding someone to interrogate you. So I volunteered."

And I thought a larger, more intimidating animal would interrogate me but Zootopia was full of surprises. 

"Now... where were we?" she pondered out loud. "Ah, yes, the crater in Bunnyburrows."

She pulled out another blurry image of the forested crater and slid it towards me.

"What can you tell me about it?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I don't recall."

She tilted her head sideways and smiled. "Is that so?"

I said nothing and stared indifferently.

"Well, Mr. Cheribim... ...we have evidence that would say otherwise," she said as she pulled out more pictures.

 _This couldn't be good_. The photographs were all different angles of the same hole in the Earth. Indeed, I recognized the place and knew I should've pushed the dirt back into the crater when I had the chance. Then again, who in their right mind would take the time to do such a thing? I most certainly wouldn't.

"About thirty-seven hours ago," she pointed at the image, "the forestry team in Bunnyburrows came across this large crater measuring approximately eighteen feet in diameter."

I couldn't help but look and admire the sheer size of the impact that I made. Even the trees adjacent to the crater were partially blown away. 

"Now... they figured it was just a meteor strike," she explained while looking down at the image. "They aren't common but they do occur."

I nodded in agreement.

She looked up at me. "However..."

_Here comes the 'however' I thought to myself while feeling tenser._

"My team received a phone call after one of the experts spotted something strange," she said. "Something that didn't add up... something... out of the ordinary."

She stood up on top of the chair to better match my height. This young jackal was a bit short for an interrogator.

"We immediately went to investigate the area and what we saw was truly unusual," she said.

She waited for me to respond or react but I did neither. Either way, the young jackal displayed a strong passion.

"Do you know what that might be?" she asked while pointing to the image.

"Enlighten me," I asked. I honestly couldn't see what she was pointing at. 

"Tracks," she answered. "We found tracks around the crater."

I squinted and saw that she was right.

"And not just any tracks," she added while dropping another picture on the table. "These ones are different. See?"

I looked and noticed a familiar looking boot mark. About size seventeen.

"The edges around each print are rigid and form a sort of elongated octagon," she explained. "No animal in Zootopia has that type of footprint."

I shrugged. "So?"

She gave a light chuckle. "So... what kind of animal would leave a print of that shape? No toes, no pads, no claws, none of that."

I said nothing and only gave a blank stare. They were on to me but I didn't want to show it.

"And look at the markings," she pointed at the image in front of me. "it doesn't match any species in our records."

"Deformity, perhaps." I assumed.

She shook her head. "No, it's too symmetrical... an anomaly is more like it."

Fair point, but I didn't like where this was going. I thought my suit would help me blend in better as opposed to being in my raw human form. Either way, between me and the suit, I was in a dilemma.

She dropped down from her chair, approached my side, and placed her foot next to my boot for comparison.

"You're about the same size too," she commented while making a comparison with the blurry photographs. "I was there when they did the measurements." 

I moved my boot away from her and stared off to the side.

"You know what else is strange about these pictures?" she asked.

I shrugged. "They're terrible quality?"

"No," she smiled. "What's strange is that the tracks start _inside_ the crater... and they lead into Bunnyburrows..."

She dropped more pictures onto the table and they revealed to be more footprints leading away from the impact zone.

"...and that's _not_ normal," she added.

Clearly, this jackal has never played Halo. During warfare in my world, it was common for an orbital drop trooper to leave a crater upon crash landing and to see bootprints coming out of it. However, this was Zootopia so they were not familiar with such things.

"A meteor doesn't simply get up and walk away," she said.

"Could've made a fortune," I commented, knowing some meteor fragments held high value on the market.

The young jackal sighed. "It's not about the money, Mr. Cheribim."

She climbed into the chair again and stood up. I guess these mammals weren't the typical villains, such as mankind, who were moved by riches and resources.

"We're talking about an entirely different species here," she remarked with excitement, causing her tail to shake side-to-side. "Something that's not of this world."

But my tail didn't shake since it was physically impossible. I stared down at the images and tried to think of what to say but felt stuck.

"You were there, weren't you?" she smiled. "I know it's you." 

"That could've been anyone," I said.

"What makes you say that?" she wondered.

I paused for a quick moment to ponder and then I remembered that one billboard I saw while riding the train here. It was that one 'cute' saying the lion major came up with.

"Well... in Zootopia, anything can be anyone." I declared.

But the jackal shook her furry head and facepalmed. "That's not how the saying goes."

"How does it go?"

"In Zootopia, _anyone_ can be _anything_."

"Close enough,"

She folded her arms and leaned on one hip. "So, what are you trying to say?"

"That you should check elsewhere."

She gave a confident smile. "We already have."

Before I knew it, she placed more pictures in front of me and I was really getting tired of them. Good thing the table was made of stainless steel; otherwise, it'd collapse under the weight of all the evidence. However, instead of dirt and broken trees, these images were actually more colorful.

"From the crater, we followed your tracks and they led us here," she presented by using her pen to point. "These images were taken at the Carrot Days Festival. Sound familiar?"

I gave no reply. In many images I couldn't even spot my prints well due to me walking on top of grass; thus, I had no idea how they were able to track me down so easily. It used to be humans tracking an animal but now it was animals tracking a human. Everything was backward.

"We arrived on the second day and asked the locals if they saw anything strange," she said. "Unfortunately, we didn't get any answers. We searched the area for clues but found nothing..."

"Case closed," I interjected.

"...until we saw three kids playing soccer," she continued to add. "A bunny, a sheep, and a fox."

I clenched one fist but quickly maintained my composure.

The jackal twirled her pen again. "So, I asked them if they saw anything strange... and they did."

They must've been the same three animals I interacted with when I first came to this world.

"Apparently, whatever creature they saw made the bunny and the sheep run away in fright," she said. "But the brave little fox managed to get a good description. The best one we have so far."

I folded my arms. "Let's hear it,"

"Yeah, so..." she opened up her red binder to read the slip of paper. "He said that he saw a tall, white, spider-eyed creature with a wrinkled face and wearing a brown rug."

 _It's a cloak_ , I thought to myself. Not a rug. Nevertheless, that little red fox pretty much described someone I was quite familiar with. _Why were foxes always getting me in trouble?_ I was hoping that a fox such as Nick would be the exception and not the rule.

The female jackal, Rebecca, looked me over and paused. 

"He then told us that the creature simply gave him back his soccer ball... and disappeared into the cornfields," she continued. "Fortunately, no harm came to him or any mammal in the area, as far as confirmed reports go." 

I solemnly nodded in agreement but soon realized that she took it as an affirmation. Not bad for a ZIA intern but not good for me.

She opened up the binder and licked her finger before turning through some of the pages. "No disease, no pathogens, and no incidents, thankfully," she said. "But whatever this creature was, wherever it came from... we had to find it."

Part of me wondered why but I didn't bother asking.

"We tried to follow its tracks through the cornfields," she pointed with her pen. "But they were lost during the corn harvest."

"That's unfortunate,"

"Very much so," she replied while removing her glasses. "We lost the creature or, better yet, we lost you... but we had other methods of tracking you."

This made me surprised. "Such as?"

"Your scent," she answered. "Our team of wolves and bears were able to smell you."

"Smell me?" I asked, imagining a random team of animalized CIA agents passing their day by sniffing the air. It was all so weird and humorous to me.

"Yes," she smirked while holding up a ziplock bag of tiny grey particles. "The ashes from the crater."

 _My goodness, she came prepared_. I should've jumped in some water, I thought. But there was no way I could've planned all of this in advance.

She pulled out a paper map - which I assumed was of Bunnyburrows - and began drawing arrows. "Your scent led my team and I down this road, through this bend, and all the way to the northern hills."

I followed along and realized that it was the same route the Hopps family and I took when we pushed their truck home.

"You walked a fair distance until we could no longer pick up your scent." she further explained. "We arrived up to this section right here. See that?"

She drew a blue star to mark the spot on the map. I wondered why it had stopped there.

"When we arrived at this point, we came to a dead-end," she said. "No prints, no scent, and no clues whatsoever. The only thing we found was a discarded orange on the road."

I couldn't help but give a low chuckle and look down. It must've been from the time when those drive-by polar animals threw an orange at me while I was pushing the Hopp's family truck. The messy fruit probably washed away the ash scent. _That was just too lucky._

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, noticing that my head was still down.

"No, nothing." I quickly answered.

She tilted her head, trying to read my expressions but wasn't able due to my helmet.

"So..." she carried on. "With nowhere else to go, my team and I set up camp and stayed here for the next couple of hours."

In my head, I was thinking of how convenient it was that they didn't follow me to the Hopps family home.

"We asked the very few locals living in the area... but none saw anything in particular," she said with reclined ears. "Hours passed and we still couldn't find anything. We were all disappointed... me especially... we were _this close_ to making a new discovery... but our Head Director gave us the order to pack everything up. So that's what we did."

Silence filled the room for the next couple of seconds and none of us spoke a word. She kept looking at me while I stared at the table and fiddled with the photographs.

Her ears perked up again. "But when we loaded the last crate into the truck, that's when we heard it."

I looked at her with peaked interest. "Heard what?"

"The lightning,"

 _I didn't like the sound of that._ Not only did these ZIA animals see the crater, but they also heard what I did. This wasn't good.

I took a deep breath and tried to remain as calm and quiet as I could.

"And not just any lightning," she said. "This one emitted a frequency rate, unlike anything we've ever recorded in mammalian history."

She presented a black gloss chart comparing the stats of different lightning forms. With great interest, I took it in both hands and easily noticed the vast differences between the one they heard and the ones they've previously recorded. The Zootopian units of measurement differed from those of my world but I could easily deduce that something was off.

It wasn't necessarily due to the numbers being high. Rather, it was the fact that the numbers were all over the place. From negatives to zeroes to high positives, they were chaotic, and the machine's parameters failed to accurately capture this extraterrestrial event. I knew because I've studied this type of phenomenon in my world before.

"And that's not the only thing," she added. "There was no thunder... which is impossible because lightning is always accompanied by thunder."

From the tone of her voice, I could sense a great deal of concern; even though these types of lightning sounds were common in my world during warfare and inclement weather.

"Whatever our devices picked up, it goes beyond the charts."

"Like an outlier?" I asked.

She thought for a moment and then nodded. "Precisely,"

"And?"

"As you might've guessed, we immediately made haste with the investigation."

"I figured."

"And that's what led us to the Bunnyburrow forest," she said. "Not only was there one lightning strike but there were two."

From her red binder, she pulled out a tan-colored folder and used her paw to finger through the contents.

"Now, the Bunnyburrow forest is over a million acres," she explained while pulling out a photograph of a burnt tree. "Fortunately, we were able to track the sound source... and that led us to this exact spot."

 _I hoped to never see that tree again and yet, there it was._ The same one that caused tremendous fright in my bunny friend. There wasn't much of a tree left but it was clearly destroyed by some trigger-happy pyromaniac. But did the ZIA intern, Rebecca Pawts, know that? I surely hoped not.

"Look familiar?" she asked.

I quickly shook my head. "No."

She tilted her head. "What does it look like to you?"

I shrugged. "A lightning strike."

She tilted her head the other way. "But what kind of lightning strike?"

 _Where was she going with this?_ I wondered. If she already knew the answer, then why bother with the questions? I tried my best to appear seemingly innocent but only succeeded in painting myself into a corner. Sooner or later, I'd have to tell the truth which I didn't like doing.

She waited for my answer and I began to recall the different types of lightning from my world. As Earth-77's weather patterns worsened with time, it was critical to learn all of them. Technically, thunder was always followed by lightning but there was one type in which the sound of thunder was often hard to hear following the lightning strike. Luckily, the name was easy to remember.

"Heat lightning," I replied.

This was actually a valid term for lightning commonly occurring in the summertime in which the sound of thunder is produced but was too far away for a human to hear. Thus, I nailed it.

But the jackal shook her head. "That's what my team and I thought at first... but we were wrong."

 _So much for that._ I brooded. Plus, I don't think it was even summertime, based on the photographs.

"So, there are three reasons," she gestured with her paw. "Three reasons as to why it wasn't a lightning strike. First, that tree was the shortest one in the vicinity. Lightning usually strikes the tallest standing object."

Indeed, not only were there many trees taller than the burnt one, but there were many that were practically adjacent to it. The images confirmed it.

"Reason two: There were hardly any clouds that day," she said. "And the air wasn't forecasted to be humid enough to ensure lightning conditions."

I remembered seeing clouds that day but there were so few of them. Perhaps lightning could've occurred but the conditions weren't so favorable.

"And finally... there's one thing that doesn't fit." she pulled out another photograph, unlike the ones I saw before. It appeared to be a large chunk of burnt bark with a hole in it. "Whatever struck this tree, didn't come from the top. It came from the side."

I couldn't argue with that one.

She pointed at the central part of the image. "Look at how perfectly round that hole in the bark is. Perfect shapes like this don't occur in nature, even from a force as powerful as lightning."

She held out her paw in front of me and I continued to examine the image.

"It was about this wide," she gestured. "Three-point three inches in diameter."

And yet, another piece of evidence I should've destroyed when I had the chance.

"Only a high energy force could deliver such a result," she claimed. "And look at all the damage it caused!"

Within the photograph, there were scattered and burnt remains from the vaporized tree. The stump didn't fare too well.

"Even our ballistics expert couldn't identify what it could've been," the jackal said worriedly. "He said that only an industrial-grade machine has that kind of potential... but there was no evidence to back it up." 

_That's what happens when you're an animal that was raised in a technologically lagged society_ , I thought. 

"After all," she said. "It'd require a stable power source and there's no way that such a heavy machine could be hauled into the middle of the forest with rugged terrain," she carefully explained. "Even if it were possible, there'd at least be trailer marks on the ground. However, there was no sign of them. In our expert's eighteen years of service, he told us that he's never seen anything like it."

Upon hearing this, my heart dropped. These animals had no idea what they were witnessing and that wasn't the worst of it.

"But after examining the area for more clues, we just so happened to come across your tracks," she continued. "And not just your tracks. There were three wolf tracks next to the tree."

"A wolf family," I murmured, not wanting to remember that nearly tragic event.

This took the jackal by surprise. "Yes, a wolf family."

She was going to pull out more photographs but decided not to.

"Based on the tracks, we could tell that whatever hit this tree caused the family a tremendous amount of terror," she said quietly. "Before the tree, their tracks were running their normal harmonious course. But next to the tree, their tracks were all jumbled and disturbed. The leaves, the claw marks, and the displaced dirt all indicate great fear was involved."

I looked down in silence and she tried to look me in the eyes.

"So _you were_ there." the jackal stated. "You're the one who did this."

With some hesitation, I eventually nodded.

"What happened?" she asked, standing up from her chair.

But I said nothing and remained quiet. Seventeen seconds passed and the room was still silent.

"Mr. Cheribim," she insisted. "Under penalty of court-martial, and on behalf of the ZIA, I order you to explain what happened in the forest."

All this pressure was giving me a headache to a point that I could no longer hide it anymore. I clenched my fists, held my head steady, took a deep breath, and returned to my previous sitting posture.

I then leaned forward and answered, "It was an accident. I shot the tree."

"Shot?" she stammered.

"Yes. I shot it."

She was mildly shocked. "With...with what exactly?"

"With a phaser rifle,"

She had no idea what that was and gave me a confused look. 

But after a moment, something appeared to jog her memory so she frantically pulled out her phone to pull up an image. "Wait, so, the same one from the lobby? _This one_?" she pointed.

I looked and recognized that it was the same burnt hole I left in the ceiling during my encounter with the ZPD. However, that was technically a phaser pistol and not a phaser rifle. A pistol was about half the energy output as a rifle.

"Yes," I answered, "That's the one." I felt it best to keep things simple and assume they were the same thing. After all, the animals in Zootopia wouldn't understand the difference because both were equally frightening.

"Wow," she gasped. "It makes sense because both have similar traces. Even the lobby recordings indicate matching sound frequency levels, just like those we recorded from the forest," she pulled out her pen and jotted down a few notes. "So you confirm that you did both of them. The one in the forest and the one in the lobby. Is that right?" 

After a brief pause, I said, "Correct."

She wrote down a few notes and pulled out her radio. "Jack, I hope you're recording this."

" _Everything as we speak_ ," the voice affirmed.

"Good. Rebecca out." she put her radio away.

At this point, I could care less about what they were doing or what they were thinking. These furry animals didn't scare me.

"So where is this weapon now? " she asked. "We couldn't find it anywhere in the lobby or anywhere in the forest."

 _This was going to be hard to explain_ , I figured. I looked around the room for something that could potentially help me explain to this young female jackal. However, the room was bare and had nothing useful except for a pile of photographs on the table.

With animals watching us on the other side of the one-way mirror glass panel, I knew the pressure was on.

Thus, I pointed at both my gauntlets. "It's all right here."

The female jackal's ears perked up, she quickly approached me, grabbed my left gauntlet with both paws, and began palpating for a weapon. Obviously, she didn't quite understand the science behind nanotech.

"So you had a weapon this entire time, and now you tell us?" she asked incredulously while continuing to feel my hands. "How'd our security not notice?"

" _Standby. We're sending immediate backup_ ," the radio voice frantically announced.

But the jackal calmly clicked her radio. "Negative, call it off,"

She had confidence and I admired her independence, even when coming face-to-face with an unpredictable soldier such as myself. She thoroughly checked me like a TSA agent, I complied the best I could, and even put myself in a 'T' pose.

On her hip, she had a tranquilizer pistol but never drew it out. She lacked height so she had to pull up a chair once more to check around the torso. It seemed odd letting a furry animal search me for weapons but I did whatever made them feel secure. 

"I don't feel anything," she stated. "As far as I can tell, you're unarmed."

"It's there," I assured.

She seemed doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

She then proceeded to check my forearms and even tried digging her claws into the gaps, possibly thinking they'd open some hidden compartments. However, unbeknown to her, everything on me was a solid alloy. But that didn't halt her determination.

I couldn't tell if she was actually checking for a weapon or checking to see how my joints moved with my armor. Either way, for a small young mammal such as herself, she was getting more involved than I was feeling comfortable with. Good thing I was wearing armor; otherwise, I might've lost some skin.

"Are all jackals like this?" I wondered.

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. "Actually, I'm a coyote."

I was taken back. "A coyote?"

"Yes," she answered firmly. "I get that a lot. My sister and I are both preemies."

I felt a little bad for species profiling and looked down. "My apologies."

"It's alright," she answered. "We were both born thin, with elongated ears, and black tails as birthmarks. Many animals mistake us as jackals but, biologically, we are coyotes."

"You're twins?"

She smiled. "Yes."

After a brief time of awkward silence, she resumed checking for the weapon I was talking about. The more she searched, the more she realized that she wasn't finding anything particularly dangerous. At least, she thought so.

"So what is... this?" she wondered, feeling the armor surface with her paw. "It's rough... even rougher than rhino skin."

"It's a condition," I lied. 

She scratched it with her paw. "I've never seen it on any mammal before. Must be rare,"

I lifted both gauntlets in front of me. "Definitely out of the ordinary,"

She tilted her head. "I find it rather extraordinary,"

I dropped both my hands. "Really?"

She stopped herself to think about what she said. "Well, you are unique,"

I couldn't help but appreciate her observation. However, It was more of an artistic fascination than a tactical realization on her part. She had no idea what my suit was truly meant for and that was only half the problem. Having extraterrestrial white armor to appear as a mutated species was one thing but having a pink human inside the suit would be an entirely different vector. Luckily, nanotech armor had smooth, lifelike movements to convey a natural state but it all ended when it came down to food consumption.

Thus, the armor was both a curse and a blessing. It acted as a temporary disguise, albeit, a poor one that tricked animals into thinking I was some strange wolf/bear. My human face proved that I was a breathing, creature who had feelings and emotions but that would eventually bring up the grand question of what actual species I was. Thus, it could be better to stay covered up.

For these animal's sake, I hoped that they'd never have to learn about mankind's history with animals. There were memorable rescue moments, to be sure, but they were all eventually clouded by irreversible moments of greed. And all I did was watch behind glass and bars.

"But hold on though," she suddenly said while shaking her thoughts. "If you say your weapon's still here then, on behalf of the ZIA, it must be secured."

 _One could only distract a ZIA interrogator intern for so long_ , I figured. Now was the time to be honest If I had any hope of making it out of here peacefully.

"Don't you see?" I asked. "I am the weapon."

"I don't understand," the young coyote said confusingly. "My team already searched you. Even I searched you. There's no weapon here."

"You overlooked,"

"Overlooked?"

I nodded.

"Tell us where it is," she ordered.

Part of me felt like improvising while the other part felt like being frank with her. Once again, I'd choose the latter.

I leaned forward. "I'll show you."

"Show me?" she said perplexingly. "But Mr. Cheribim, you're under ZIA custody and you won't be leaving this room until we're done."

I glanced at both my hands. "It's not what you think."

She tilted her head again and gave me a confused gaze. "How so?"

Knowing that things could go terribly wrong, I had to make a request to this young animal. "Promise me you won't panic."

She shook her head in hesitation. "I don't like the sound of this."

"It's the only way."

"Only way to what?" she asked.

"To understand."

She took a deep breath and then she nodded. "Alright, show me."

"You promise?" I asked while extending my hand to her.

She carefully looked at my gauntlet before firmly clasping it with her paw. "I promise."


	30. Classified

_What was I thinking?_

_Would deploying my nano-tech weapon be such a good idea?_

_Fifty-one percent of me said yes._

In consequence, the coyote and I shook paws/hands according to the agreement. No guarantees but I decided to proceed. Hopefully, she'd keep her word.

Worst case scenario, I'd wind up wearing that straight jacket again.

Next, I stood up in place -realizing just how tall I was compared to her - and took a quick deep breath.

Then, with my hand extended off to the side, I commanded the nanoparticles to move in their synchronized and harmonious motion. They were slower than usual but they obeyed my neuro commands nonetheless and maneuvered like grains of sand. The mechanical movement sounds were quite soothing but that was easy for me to say since I was in technological control.

Rebecca's eyes widened, she dropped her pen, and her nose twitched as she was witnessing a technologically extraterrestrial event unfolding before her. Within three seconds, the phaser rifle - in its full glory and terror - was resting in the palms of my gauntlets.

As any good soldier would, I kept the rifle pointed downward. Though I was armed to the teeth, I had no desire to attack and tried my very best to maintain a nonaggressive stance.

But the young, female coyote had a paw over her mouth, not knowing what had just transpired before her. For an intern, I thought she handled it pretty well.

She didn't scream but she backed up in mild terror - for she thought the weapon magically appeared out of nowhere - and instinctively placed a paw on her holster while not knowing how else to react. This was officially the third time I've drawn out my weapon in front of animals in this world.

 _"Rebecca! Stay put!"_ the radio voice frantically sounded. _"Backup is coming!"_

The metal barrier slid open and three grey wolf SWAT guards entered the room with lasers pointed at me and teeth bared. Their weapons also appeared much sleeker in design and darker.

"Drop the weapon! NOW!" the middle one barked.

But I remained standing and kept my phaser rifle pointed away. My interrogator had backed herself into a corner while the wolves were ready to fire their high-pressured tranquilizers. As tempting as it was to disarm them, I decided it'd be best to not repeat the lobby incident.

"Drop it!"

"Easy," I gestured with my hand, trying to calm them down.

But these guards were heavily driven by their wolven instincts and were here to protect. Their stares were fierce, potent, and focused on the unpredictable threat before them, which was me. Instead of staring back at them, I looked towards the ground to avoid further escalation.

The middle wolf then took a bold step forward. "I said drop it!"

"Right now!" the other barked.

"Relax," I said calmly, holding my gauntlet out once more.

But they tightened their grips. "Final warning!"

As the wolves were nearly set on taking their shots, I turned to look at the coyote who appeared more dumbfounded than scared. The guards wouldn't take heed to my word but perhaps she still would.

"Rebecca...you made a promise. Keep it." I reminded her.

She slowly looked at the wolves, then at me, and then back at the wolves. She took a deep breath but didn't say or do anything else. The wolves then looked at each other and nodded.

"Alright, drop him!" the wolf ordered.

But the female coyote immediately jumped in front of them with her paws out. "Wait! Stop!"

The wolves hesitated before they quickly lowered their pistols. They probably wondered why any sane animal would risk her life to stand up to an armed extraterrestrial.

 _"Rebecca?"_ the wolf unyieldingly questioned. "What are you doing?"

She briefly turned her head back at me and then back to the wolves. The middle wolf kept his pistol pointed downward while the other two wolves raised theirs back up again - ready to shoot me.

"Stand down!" she sternly ordered.

All three of them tilted their heads as if she had lost her mind.

"He's armed!" the middle wolf angrily defended. "Can't you see that?"

"I'm well aware," she irritably remarked.

"Then stand aside!" he motioned with his paw. The other wolves began to take further steps while two more rhino guards were at the door as a backup, followed by other animal units.

But the coyote firmly planted both feet on the floor and stopped them from advancing. "No! I said stand down!"

Despite the guards being much more muscular in size, they surprisingly stopped right in front of her. All I did was continue standing in the same place - with my rifle wielded - while the young coyote bravely held her ground.

Accordingly, my goal was to send them a message: That I would no longer attack and had no desire to do so. I gave a terrible impression back in the lobby but now was the time to set things right. The coyote could see that - at least, I assumed she did - but everyone else would take time.

The guards tried to advance again but she held up her paw. "That's an order!"

All the guards steadily glared at the unknown weapon before them and tried to process what it could be. They didn't know what it was, how it was made, or how it worked but they knew it was technologically beyond anything they've ever encountered.

The wolves looked at each other, then at me, and then at the coyote with great concern regarding her safety. "Listen, if he's unrestrained and fully armed, then there's a high possibility that--"

"--it'll be fine, lieutenant," she said firmly, placing both paws on her hips. "I can take care of myself."

Once again, the middle wolf didn't want to risk it but he obeyed her orders nonetheless and nodded at his fellow officers to exit the room.

He gave a low growl and approached me face to face while pointing at my chest with his paw. "You make one wrong move, _so help me_ , I will--"

"--That's enough," the coyote declared.

I kept my head steady as the grey wolf gave me one last glare of intimidation. He tried to read my eyes but soon realized that they were static and unphased on the outside of the helmet. But for inside the helmet, I might've blinked a few times. Like most typical menacing leaders, he had scars on the left side of his muzzle that revealed his numerous past rough experiences on the job. I could care less about what those were and so could the joker.

He walked past the coyote, gave her a nod, and he finally departed from the interrogation room. The guards closed the heavy door and now it was just the coyote and the human in the room. A short furry interrogator and a tall armored interrogee. All was quiet again.

With the phaser rifle still in my gauntlets, I collapsed it back into my suit until it was fully absorbed again. The coyote blinked a few times, her mouth hung slightly open, and she couldn't believe that the weapon was gone again.

I looked at the one-way window - hoping we had an audience - and then back at the coyote with a nod. "Now you know."

"How... how did you do that?" she asked quietly. "Where'd it go?"

"Nowhere," I answered. "Just condensed, is all."

She tilted her head in confusion. "But... _how?"_

"It's technology beyond your world. Just like me."

She nearly lost her balance. "I...I don't know what to say..."

I said nothing and simply sat behind the metal table. She paced back and forth across the room while taking time to process reality. Perhaps she felt underqualified - especially as an intern - to interrogate someone of my type due to how otherworldly I was. However, she took the time to compose herself and sat down to join me.

Anxious for answers, she leaned inward. "Who are you?"

_This was going to be good._

"I'm a soldier from the Grand Army of the Intergalactic Stratocracy." I formally replied.

Her golden eyes widened and her right ear perked up. "Wait.... _what?"_

Clearly, she had no idea what I was talking about. I guessed these animals weren't too familiar with stratocracies. But the longer I silently stared at her puzzled look, the more convinced I was that I should say something else.

"Nevermind," I uttered. "I'm an extraterrestrial."

"Extraterrestrial?" she panted. "You mean like... _an alien? "_

I looked at myself in the glass mirror and tried to imagine the animals' perspective. With hesitation, I nodded.

This made her stop and think.

"That would explain the crater... " she commented. "...which totally makes sense! So you crashed here, didn't you?"

We both looked at the forest images on the table again and then back at each other.

Her tail began to sweep back and forth with excitement. "...That means you really are from... _another world?"_

"I am,"

She speedily sat down and scooted her seat closer for a better view. Without further ado, she opened up her binder to a blank page and clicked her pen. Never had I ever seen a creature so eager to take notes. Therefore, it was time to resume the interrogation.

"How did you get here?" she asked.

I pointed up at the ceiling. "Fell from space,"

Her eyes widened. "Wait, you fell all the way down to Earth? Straight from space?"

"Sure did."

"But how? The chances of surviving such an atmospheric height are practically _zero_ ," she reasoned. "How are you not dead?"

I shrugged. "Plot armor,"

She let out a fake light chuckle. "Ha! There has to be a better explanation than that."

I then thought of what it might've been. I did recall my HUD giving me an error message two days ago for my suit's compromised flight systems. That means many nanoparticles were wastefully converted into thrusters to cushion my landing while I was unconscious, but at least I survived the fall.

Thus, without sharing all the physics technicalities, I replied, "Just luck."

"That's it?"

"That's all it was."

She stared in admiration and went into thought. "So, if you fell from space, what were you doing up there? What brought you to this world?"

"Fate brought me here," I said. "After my world's destruction."

The coyote was taken back in mild fear. "D-Destruction?"

I gave a firm nod.

"What exactly happened?" she innocently inquired.

"My kind was wiped out by a spatial cataclysmic event," I explained. "Infamously known as The Big Crunch."

" _The Big Crunch?"_ she wondered out loud. "W-What's that?"

"You familiar with the Big Bang theory?"

She thought for a brief second. "Ah... yes, yes I am."

"It's the opposite of that."

"Really?" she said with surprise and pondered the idea. "So instead of a massive explosion, you're saying that your world ended by a massive... _im-plosion_?"

"Basically," I acknowledged, not wishing to divulge all the intergalactic civil wars that were mutually involved with our decimation.

She scribbled down a few notes until a look of concern came to her. "B-But how did you survive? Weren't others with you as well?"

"All dead," I said flatly. "Some were on the teleporter with me, but none made it."

Her countenance filled with deep sadness and her ears dropped. " _No one?"_ she stuttered. "Not even your _family?_ Or your friends?"

My head felt heavy. "None, except me."

Silence took over as she shakingly stared down at the table. She then reached for my hand. "Mr. Cheribim... I'm... I'm so sorry...."

"Me too," I said, moving my hand away.

"I can't imagine what you're feeling right now... to lose a home... and to lose those you were close with."

I said nothing and only looked at the tabletop.

As kind as the coyote was, intimacy wasn't much of a thing from my world. The real family I once loved turned out to be nothing more than a virtual simulation. An illusion and a lie that lasted for over 110 years. Nevertheless, as distant as humans were in the future, having them around was better than nothing. Part of me still missed them but they were long gone.

"So you're the very last one?" she reverently asked. "The last of your species?"

The thought suddenly hit me deep. "I am."

The coyote's expression turned dispirited. "...And just when we discovered a new species such as yourself, we thought you were possibly endangered... but now you're telling me that you're almost extinct?"

"I'm afraid so."

After hearing this, she looked down in sorrow and said nothing for the next bit of time. Little did she know of how humans treated her species back in my world and yet, she somehow had feelings towards them. Admirable but mistaken.

"Apologies for not asking earlier, but what was the name of your species?" she wondered. "Or better yet, what are _you_ exactly?"

I peaked at the glass mirror and then back at her. "Didn't Judy tell you?"

"She told us very little," the coyote scratched one of her ears. "Just your name is all."

"My species is mankind," I answered, thinking It might've been easier and more gender-inclusive to say 'human' but I decided to change things up a bit.

She had her pen in paw, eager, and ready to go. "Spell it for me please,"

"M.A.N.K.I.N.D."

After writing it down, she held up the slip of paper. "Man-kind?" she read. "Is that right?"

I nodded. "Or 'Man' for short."

She eagerly took a moment to examine me. "I've never heard of 'Man' or 'Man-kind' before," she said in wonder. "But, then again, I don't think any of us have."

 _Perhaps it was better that they never did_ , I thought to myself. The very thought of mankind's dealings with animals - especially in the final centuries of our existence - continued to haunt and disturb me.

While I continued sitting in place, the female coyote pulled out a tablet from her binder and began typing inquiries. After a minute of carefully studying the screen, her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Your species doesn't appear in _any_ of our mammalian databases," she said. "Even with my clearance level, I can't find anything."

Now my curiosity peaked. "Try human or homo sapiens." I directed.

She then began typing away with an amount of curiosity that far exceeded my own. In her perspective, she and all other Zootopians had never encountered a human which would explain their thirst for answers. In my perspective, she and all other Zootopians were members of species that have already existed on my planet at one time or another.

However, one of my greatest perturbations is that we drove many of them unto extinction, never to be seen or heard from again; but now, I was talking face to face with one of them and she had the ability to talk back. It felt like being a hunter who had shot and mistreated animals his entire life until one day they kindly talk to him as if they knew nothing about his past.

As Rebecca waited one last time for the tablet to load, she shook her head. "Still nothing."

"I figured,"

"Never, in my life, had I spoken to a species that's unlisted," she gracefully pondered. "I thought I've met every one of them... until _you_ showed up. There's so much we need to learn from you."

"Like what?" I asked doubtfully.

"Everything," she beamed. "Or anything that you can tell us. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to add your species to the database."

I hesitated, almost wanting to protest, but then I resented. "...Okay."

"Perfect," she smiled as her tail happily swept side-to-side. "One moment while I add a new entry."

While the coyote fiddled with the code, something briefly came to mind. In my world, captured animals never received interrogation from humans; instead, we'd just throw them behind bars - without even trying to communicate with them - and they'd be doomed to die in a kennel.

But this world was different. At least with Zootopia, a captured human - such as myself - was given an opportunity to communicate. In other words, they showed mercy. We, as a human species, struggled to do this with each other, and much less with animals. I didn't deserve it and yet, here we were.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked.

Her left ear perked up before she returned from her device. "Absolutely!" she affirmed with confidence. "We will need this information to better assist you while you're in Zootopia. Sound good?"

I nodded and folded my arms.

She propped the tablet in both paws and sat crossed-legged on the chair. "Alright, I'm going to ask you a couple of quick questions."

"Keep them brief."

She gave a thumbs up. "They'll be very brief, I promise."

The coyote swiped left to prepare the screen and tried looking me in the eyes.

"So, first off, your species is known as 'Mankind', 'Human'... _or 'Homo-Sapiens',"_ the coyote recapitulated. "Is that right?"

"Yes, correct,"

She furrowed her brows. "What does 'sapiens' mean?"

I squinted my eyes, trying to remember. After a few seconds, it came to me. "It means wise,"

This seemed to fascinate her but I didn't feel the same way about it.

"Very good," she said as she tapped down a few notes. "Now, are you predator or prey?"

"Both, I suppose,"

"Both?" she asked in surprise. "That's not common here."

She tapped down a few notes and I tried to guess the next question.

"And what does your typical diet consist of?" she asked.

 _I knew it_. That question always troubled me. "I'll pass on that question."

"Pass? That sounds a little suspicious to me, Mr. Cheribim."

She had a point.

"Fine," I resented. "Um... vegetables."

"And?"

I sighed. "... On pizza and pasta."

"Now we're talking. There's no shame in that... except for the carbs." she smiled while nodding in approval. "Anything else?"

 _Smoked bacon_ came to mind but I shook my head. "That's it."

As she tapped away on her tablet, my thoughts wandered and I was now craving breakfast. At least that annoying red fox brought me a birthday cupcake hours ago but that could hardly be considered a decent meal.

"So, if you're both predator and prey, then does that mean there were... _other animals_ in your world? Perhaps a coyote, like me?" she wondered.

I tried to remember all the ones I've seen in my youth but so many were wiped out by the time I reached my adult years. Zoos, sanctuaries, and labs were eventually bulldozed away until our planet became nothing more than a large industrious wasteland filled with scraps and skulls.

"There were a few different types of animals," I answered. "But they all shared the same fate..."

Her ears fell back.

"...as my species," I quickly added.

Her face turned dejected. "That must've been... a terrible, terrible day..."

"Indeed, it was."

"But... I'm sure you all stood together in harmony on the final days," she said quietly. "For such a tragic event, I imagine the best thing was to face it as one animal family... right?"

"Yes... of course," I said uncomfortably.

I sat in my chair and continued to feel uneasy. It made me wonder if she was catching on but she wouldn't have a clear way of reading my emotions. Thank goodness I had a helmet because I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes. Thus, the only thing she had was my gestures and body language so I strived to keep myself unshaken.

"And how do animals in your world compare to the ones you've seen here in Zootopia?" she wondered. "I imagine they were very brave where you're from."

Now I felt stuck and words began to choke on my throat. Out of habit, I felt myself rubbing my lower metallic neck as if I wore a tight necktie. I didn't want to answer this coyote but the obligation increasingly weighed upon me.

"Well Rebecca, I'm sure some were." I paused before leaning forward. "But... that's the problem..."

She hesitantly lowered her tablet. "Wh-What is?"

I slowly inhaled and quickly exhaled. "In my world, animals _outside_ my species lacked cognitive-communication abilities."

She gave me a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

"They don't talk,"

This came as a great shock to her. " _Don't talk?_ But how? All animals can talk, Mr. Cheribim."

"Not where I'm from," I said shaking my head. "Before I came to this world, I had never met a talking animal such as yourself."

" _Never?_ So I'm the first coyote who's spoken to you?"

"You are."

She shook her head in doubt. "But that doesn't sound right. I mean, us coyotes are timid and shy - I'll admit - but we do talk," she reasoned. "Haven't you met coyotes before?"

"None, except for hunting season-- I mean-- back when I was _hunting_ for _seasonings_." I awkwardly corrected myself. "But that's not the point. The point is, all animals, _including coyotes_ , were _physically unable_ to speak."

She briefly went silent and her expression filled with disappointment. _"Really?_ Animals outside your species couldn't talk... _at all?"_

"Not one bit."

"So animals, like me, walked among humans but they were practically mute?" she concerningly asked.

"Not just that," I said coolly. "They were much different."

She lifted an eyebrow. "How so?"

I began to list examples with my fingers. "They didn't walk on two legs, wear clothes, use technology, attend college, _hold interrogations_... none of that," I explained with a gesture. "In other words, animals never evolved alongside humans."

"So animals remained primitive in your world? Unable to progress from the Stone Age?"

Their history was unfamiliar to me but there had to be some similarities. "I suppose, yes,"

"But I don't understand," she fretted. "Nature would _never_ leave us behind like that. I mean, it's a major step away from all the mammalian fundamentals that make up Zootopia."

"I don't know what to tell you."

"It just doesn't make any sense," she discouragingly reiterated. "I imagine your species has been around for many thousands of years, but never in that time did animals even evolve alongside humans? They just... remained _unchanged?"_

She acted like it was a perfectly normal and 'expected' thing for multiple species to evolve together. A default setting programmed by the Almighty. But the truth is, it wasn't. Talking animals - at least for me - was completely 'unexpected' and abnormal in the human universe.

Nevertheless, the innocent coyote requested an explanation but there was none to give.

"I'm sorry Rebecca... but that's just how it was."

My interrogator still appeared desirous to discuss it further but she stopped herself and slowly took a deep breath. "So... if animals didn't evolve, then at least the human species did. Is that right, Mr. Cheribim?"

"Yes, only us."

"And what was your society like?" she asked.

"Industrious and utilitarian," I answered. "Hardly decorative... much like this room."

She looked around with me and nodded at the fact that this room was indeed dull.

"Which sounds like the opposite of Zootopia," she implied. "Here in this city, we spare no expense at patterning our cityscape with the rich history and culture of our ancestors coming together in harmony. I'm sure you've seen it!"

"I have," I nodded. "And it's straight out of a Disney movie."

She gave me a blank look.

An awkward silence passed before she cleared her throat for the next question.

"So what level of technology did your society achieve?" she asked.

"We were a Type III society,"

The coyote gave me a confused look. "Type... _three?"_

"Also called a galactic civilization," I clarified. "It means we could harness and control energy at the scale of our entire host galaxy. Because of this, we lived beyond the boundaries of our world and colonized celestial bodies."

She dropped her pen.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, are you actually serious?" she gasped.

"I am."

"You're telling me that humans lived beyond the atmosphere of Earth? And they built small cities on the surface of other _planets?"_

"Cities larger than Zootopia," I added.

She chuckled in amazement. " _What?_ I've lived in Zootopia my entire life - ever since I was a cub - and never would I imagine anything bigger. So you're not joking then?"

"No," I answered honestly. "Everything I'm telling you is true,"

Her bright golden eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow, that's incredible! --- I mean, that's impressive, Mr. Cheribim."

Clearly, she was trying to remain professionally formal in her voice tone but the sweeping tail revealed just how excited she got. Her fascinated personality made me crack a small smile beneath the mask; however, it eventually reverted to a pensive face as I reminded myself that humanity's achievements were no more.

"I'd like to hear more," she requested. "If you don't mind."

I shook my head, "Can't."

She became mildly disappointed and seemingly sensed something was wrong. "Why not?"

"Painful topic,"

She almost opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself. Perhaps she'd try to insist but ultimately decided to let it go.

Thus, she gently nodded. "I...I understand,"

Honestly, it was all truly a shame. Sharing further information on my species' intergalactic achievements would've been quite joyous if it weren't for our wicked past. All the lush worlds we've burned, all the precious resources we've exhausted, and all the innocent lives lost to achieve nothing more than galactic supremacy. All those megacities we built outside of Earth were mostly abandoned - left to waste away from solar radiation - and there were never enough visitors to keep the ghosts out.

"Mr. Cheribim?" she called. "Are you okay?"

I realized that I had just zoned out.

"I'm fine, thanks,"

She took a deep breath, trying once again to read my exact emotions, but was unable to. After a brief moment of her staring at the electronic tablet in her paws, she took a deep breath.

"Perhaps we should wrap things up," she suggested.

I nodded. "Good idea."

"Alright, I have just a few quick final questions," she said as she swiped up on the tablet with her paw. "What's your height?"

"Seven-three," I replied.

"Your weight?"

"Two-three-seven,"

"Your age?"

"Thirty-three," I guessed. Time travel caused me to lose track.

"And obviously, your gender's male," she said as she checked off another box. "Now, what's your marital status?"

"Skip,"

She tapped the tablet.

"Place of birth?"

"Earth-77,"

She tilted her furry head. _"Seventy-seven?"_

"That's what we called it," I nodded. "Don't ask me why."

"Alright," she consented, not questioning it any further. "Now, what was your occupation?"

"Data scientist and former soldier,"

"Impressive," she positively commented, "Very impressive, I must say."

I awkwardly gave a thumbs up.

She glanced at her tablet and let out a little giggle to herself as if she had read something embarrassing.

"Now," she directed. "Please bear with me on these next two questions."

I gave her a friendly gesture to proceed.

"So... is it actually true that you have eight blue eyes?"

"Just two," I clarified. "The rest are false,"

"Hm, very interesting!" she noted. "And here's another one: Why doesn't your mouth move when you talk?"

This question stumped me for a bit until I snapped my fingers upon coming up with an answer. "Ventriloquism."

She squinted her eyes at me. "Are all humans like that?"

"Yes," I nodded.

In my world, it got to a point that everyone had to wear a helmet at all times. That's when we lost our humanity because we couldn't see each other's faces anymore. We couldn't read emotions.

"Put your paw out and up," she directed. "Like this,"

She held up her paw in front of her and I reluctantly placed my hand palm to palm with her. Her paw was nearly a third the size of my hand and she tried to match her fingers with mine. However, she gave a confused look upon realizing that she had four digits whereas I had five. This caused my extra pinky to dangle off to the side.

"Very interesting!" she remarked, "It appears that your digit anatomy pattern has evolved with your species."

I quietly sighed.

Her comment was ridiculous. It felt weird hearing it from a coyote because they were only supposed to have paws without opposable thumbs. But here, some species evolved until one of their paw digits became an opposable thumb. Did this happen when phones were invented? I had no clue.

The coyote pulled her paw away and began to tap the inner palm of my gauntlet. "But why exactly is your skin so hard and... _metallic_?"

"It's scleroderma," I answered. "And it's metal-infused."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "...Is there a biologically sound reason for that?"

"Keeps out the solar radiation,"

"I see... So... was it some kind of _surgical_ operation?" she inquired. "For _all_ humans?"

"It was mandatory," I affirmed. My suit appeared strange enough for these animals and to divulge information on what lied beneath the armor wasn't worth the hassle. For now, they figured my suit was the skin of an exotic extraterrestrial animal so I wished to keep it that way. Anything beneath the armor would lead to unwanted questions.

"Mandatory?" she winced. "It sounds like you come from a pretty strict society - a well-disciplined one, that is."

"Indeed," I nodded.

 _With discipline, anything is possible._ That's what saved our society from mass extinction events. Granted, it wasn't just the mandatory surgeries, but we had to observe stern adherence to suit protocol at all times.

First, it was just a mask, then gloves, then boots, and then it got to a point in which any exposed skin could pose a threat to our health. As uncomfortable and irritating as it all was, covering it all up proved to be the only sure way of reducing risk - whether that be from disease or the harsh elements of space. At the expense of what made us human, our preemptive measures preserved us for thousands of years until things were inevitably beyond our control.

Thus, as our world grew increasingly fragile, so did we.

The coyote then looked up as if to ask something but she waited. Finally, she opened her mouth. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about your species?"

I veered my head off to the side, trying to imagine all the things that were better off unspoken.

"No. Nothing," I murmured.

She gave a little friendly smile and we both suddenly made eye contact. I became lost in her golden eyes for they were bright, beautiful, and innocent. An animal who was unlike any coyote from my planet. I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes without thinking about all the poor animals who perished at the expense of mankind's ambitions. Back then, they were just quote-on-quote, animals, and nothing more. But on Zootopia, they were something more.

"And Mr. Cheribim?" she called.

I lifted up my head.

"Do you have a full name?" the coyote asked.

"No, only Cheribim," I answered with reservation. "...or Cherry."

Her face beamed. "Cherry, huh? I like that name. I think it suits you."

"Thanks."

She finished typing down some final notes before switching off the tablet and putting it away. Next, she sat on the edge of her chair, crossed her legs, and stared in admiration at the alien in front of her.

"And let me just say, it's truly an honor to finally meet you face to face, Mr. Cherry. You have no idea how much this means to us... how much it means to me... to come across an entirely new species that's never been known to this world. It's one of the greatest groundbreaking discoveries in my career with the ZIA. Truly, having you here is without a doubt a historical moment for all of Zootopia."

Her kind compliment made me wince. "I wouldn't go that far."

Upon hearing this, she paced back and forth while keeping her eyes on me. "Well, as much of a breakthrough these last few days have been, there are critical matters that we must address. Namely, your encounter with the ZPD in the lobby."

I said nothing and only sat still for I knew where this was going.

"First off, you seem like a nice mammal, Cherry. You really do. But I saw what you did to those ZPD officers. Everyone in my department reviewed the security footage... and it greatly disturbed us."

I felt my head start to sink.

"You must understand how difficult it was to find someone to interrogate you," the young coyote indicated. "No one would dare do it... so I volunteered." 

Once again, I admired this coyote's bravery. She leaned forward to continue.

"Before we met, I didn't know _who_ or _what_ exactly we were up against. But I accepted that risk for the greater good of Zootopia. And now, here you are." she gestured to me.

The next thing I knew, she took a step onto the tabletop, catching me somewhat off guard, and firmly stood with both paws on her hips as if she meant business. _What was she doing?_ It's as if she were trying to read my emotions, convincing herself they were there, but not finding anything. Silence passed, her serious face was inches away, and I didn't move.

"I wanna know what happened in the lobby," she said sternly with glaring eyes. "Why did you do it?"

She awaited my response but I couldn't craft a reasonable enough explanation.

"It was an accident," I answered, not knowing what else to say.

Her ear twitched. "An _accident?"_

I painstakingly nodded in shame.

"How was _that_ an accident?" she strongly doubted. "You single-handedly took down over twenty ZPD officers! Not to mention you put them all in harm's way!"

I glanced downward. "I'm sorry."

"That doesn't cut it." she demurred. "We want the truth."

"Fine," I admitted. "It was a provocation."

"What exactly could've provoked you? Last I checked, you were well on your way to being written up and handed off for a small misdemeanor that day. A simple jail sentence that could've easily resolved itself in one night." she explained while disapprovingly shaking her head. "Nowhere in that footage did I catch anything egregious... _except for you._ "

I clenched my fist and got ready to protest. "But the fox, he's the one that --"

Before I could say anything further, my conscience suddenly took over. I stopped myself and began to ponder the situation at hand. Though it was a shame to be processed by a fox, it would've been better for everyone had I just chosen to cooperate. I never did because I knew that I never stole the artifact and admitting defeat to a little animal was disgraceful in my world.

Truly, my transition from a human militarized society to an animal harmonized society was never planned for.

But my world was dead. My military rank meant nothing and my dignity with the Intergalactic Stratocracy didn't matter anymore. Anything I did now could no longer factor towards merits in my society. Grabbing that fox by the neck would've generated plenty of merits in my world but such an action in Zootopia had destroyed my merits.

"...Nevermind," I concluded with overdue realization. "It was my fault."

The coyote tilted her head with a neutral expression. She said nothing and waited for me to continue.

"I don't know what got into me, Rebecca. I really don't. But I'm sorry for what I did and I deeply regret all my actions." I confessed while tightly grasping my helmet in frustration. "Perhaps my world being destroyed took a toll on me... but that was no excuse for my actions."

"Absolutely not," she affirmed. "I mean, I suppose you're traumatically afflicted with your past... but what you did in the lobby was unacceptable."

I stared at the floor. "I know."

"In Zootopia, we take public safety with the utmost priority, especially for our own animal officers." she reprimanded. "Because of you, the ZPD has been understaffed until they fully recover from their inflicted injuries. As a result, many of our nearby precincts are vulnerable as a byproduct of your irresponsible actions."

I shook my head in disbelief. Never did I consider how the civilians would've been affected.

"And not only that," she added. "But you also did the unthinkable. Somehow, you pulled an otherworldy weapon on those ZPD officers... and you discharged it. We surveyed the ballistic impact and we were completely baffled by the sheer damage it caused! Imagine what that could've done to the officers!"

"It'd be terrible," I imagined.

"And thank god no one got killed," she said. "Had backup not arrived on time, you could've wandered out in public and placed everyone else in danger."

"I got taken down by a bunny," I scoffed. "I'm not that much of a threat."

" _Do not_ underestimate Officer Hopps," the coyote said with a stern tone. "She's one of the best officers the ZPD has ever known."

"That makes me feel better," I admitted.

" _If she had to get involved_ when all other animal officers failed to apprehend you, then it proves the threat level we have on our paws."

I shook my head while looking down. "Don't say that. I'm not a threat."

"Is that so? Then tell me. How do you explain this?"

The coyote pulled up a black screen on her tablet with a large 'play' button in the middle. She passed me the tablet and expected me to initiate the video. I tried but was unable since I was wearing alloy gauntlets. I then tapped the 'play' button too hard which caused the screen to crack. _How embarrassing._

The coyote sighed and rolled her eyes.

With shame, I handed the screen back to her, she pressed 'play', and held the tablet screen facing towards me. For the next six minutes, I saw the footage of my encounter with the ZPD in the lobby. It all came back to me.

The tranquilizer darts, the throat punches, the chest kicks, the tail crushes, the window throws, the head smashes, the tackles, the lightning, the property damage, and the violence were all there. Quite frankly, seeing it unfold from a third-person perspective proved to be far more disturbing than what I witnessed in first-person.

Finally, as the video clip progressed, I came to the climatic timestamp of when I fired my pistol in the lobby. The white armored alien appeared unphased but all the animal officers had faces filled with immense horror. Something I never really noticed until now. As soon as I saw that, I stopped watching

"Alright. That's enough." I said.

She paused the video and placed the tablet face down. "Now you know how we feel about all this. I hate to say it, but you're a dangerous mammal, Mr. Cherry."

"I am not your enemy," I solemnly declared.

"I never said you were," she asserted. "But your kind clearly has some unknown abilities that go beyond our safety metric."

She opened up the tablet again to reveal a blurry surveillance image from when I deployed my guns at the ZPD officers. Using her paw, she zoomed in at one of the nano-pistols I wielded with my gauntlet.

"A weapon like that has no place here in Zootopia," she said softly. A moment of silence passed before any of us spoke and the image seemed to haunt me further the more I looked at it. She glanced up at me and spoke. "We must get rid of it."

I shook my head, wishing there was a better answer. "It can't be done."

"Why not?" the coyote asked in surprise.

"Because it's infused into me, as I clearly demonstrated earlier," I argued. "Don't you see? It's a part of me. It can't go anywhere."

She glanced back and forth between me and the image. "What do you mean? I... I don't understand,"

"It's like this: Every particle you see on me is preprogrammed to perform key operations to ensure survival. Together, they can tighten, loosen, form shapes, or even form tools. Whether I want to regulate temperature, block the elements, or make tools, it can be done."

As an additional demonstration, I shaped my gauntlet index fingertip into a hexagonal Allen wrench tool and showed the coyote by removing one of the bolts from the metal table. It was a more subtle approach to present mankind's technology as opposed to deploying a lethal pistol.

As I collapsed the Allen tool back into my gauntlet, the little animal in front of me stared with incredulity.

"Between your weapon and that tool coming out of nowhere, how is all that... scientifically _possible_?" she asked.

"That's classified,"

" _Classified?_ That's not up to you to decide." she declared. "With you being under our jurisdiction, only the ZIA can make such determinations."

"I understand, Rebecca. But I'm not the one who decided."

"Then who did?"

"My ancestors," I answered. 'The original designers of this technology from hundreds of years ago. I can't say how it all works. They never told me. But it helped my species survive and adapt to whatever nature threw at us."

She lifted one ear. "Like what?"

"Heat surges, ice ages, pandemics, wars, and famines to name a few," I said. "We lasted until our luck finally ran out."

"You really do come from an advanced species, don't you?" she observed. "So everything you did to survive was practically already built into you? Like an artificially forced type of evolution?"

"More or less," I shrugged. "Were it not for our scientific achievements and cybernetic enhancements, my species would've perished long ago."

"This is a lot for me to process," the coyote said while scratching her head and falling into deep thought. "I guess what you're telling me makes sense... and it's beyond fascinating..."

She slowly paced back and forth within the interrogation room.

"...But hold on..." she continued before pausing. "...If the goal of your species was to survive, then you could easily make tools... but why would you ever need weapons of such power? The energy output we measured in the lobby was too much. It just seems... unnecessary."

"For your world, yes," I agreed. "But what you saw is nothing compared to what my species had invented in times past."

"Wait!" she interrupted. "You're telling me that your species designed weapons more powerful than what we saw? More powerful than what you showed me? I'm sorry but that... that's complete insanity."

"It depends on what you mean by weapon," I attempted to reason. "For my species, a weapon can also be used as a tool - to remove obstacles we may encounter."

The coyote placed both paws on her hips in what appeared to be a protest. "Some obstacles cannot be removed with a mere show of force, Mr. Cherry."

"I understand," I assented. "But when it comes to removing earthquake debris, stopping incoming asteroids, or opening locked doors, they're helpful."

The coyote gave me a few solemn nods of understanding but she still didn't seem fully convinced. Trying to justify the same tools that were - unbeknownst to her - partially responsible for the death of much of her species proved to be incredibly difficult.

"I see," she remarked, before pausing to go into deep thought. "But that doesn't change the fact that you put all those ZPD officers at risk. Whether you call your technology a weapon... or a tool, it's still a credible threat to all of Zootopia. If we don't address this, then it could lead to one of the largest public uproars since the Night Howler crisis."

I looked at both my gauntlets and then at the coyote in front of me. "I understand, Rebecca. And I don't want to put anyone in danger."

The coyote sat on the table and positively pondered. "There must be a way to resolve this. There has to be."

"What comes to mind?" I wondered.

"Well, we could... try zip ties, taking out the batteries if that's a thing, or maybe covering it up with some kind of an adhesive wrapping... so that the weapon doesn't come back."

I shook my head. "The only sure way to get rid of it... is for me to be dead."

Both the coyote's ears drooped down and she was in utter shock. "Wait... what?"

"Without brain activity, the particles cannot assemble."

She immediately stood up as if her heart were racing. "That's not gonna happen and I will never allow that to happen!"

Curious, I asked. "Why not?"

"Because that goes against everything Zootopia stands for." she reasoned. "It's not fair for you to die because you're different from us. Yes, you've made a fair number of mistakes, and getting you adjusted to our mammalian culture will take time, but we're here to help you, Mr. Cherry. There has to be another way."

"I'm sure there is,"

"You've lived with this unworldly ability your entire life, you told me it cannot be undone, and only you know of its limitations," she said pensively. "So what do you suggest?"

I stared at the one-way glass mirror and then back at her. "You won't like it,"

She was fully attentive. "Try me,"

"Basically, you'll have to trust me,"

"Trust you?"

"Trust that I won't do it again." I sincerely stated. "It's the only way."

She thought to herself for a moment before speaking. "But how can we trust you?"

I sat forward. "You must take a leap of faith, Rebecca. I give you my word and I swear my life that I will never harm an innocent mammal again."

"That's a risky gamble," she said with hesitation. "To set aside one of our greatest fears and concerns regarding your presence on Zootopia and to simply take your word for it? It won't be that easy."

"Please," I gently asked. "I need a second chance,"

The coyote didn't speak and only appeared to be contemplating for the next little bit. With nothing else to lose and figuring that the only future I had left was in Zootopia, I decided to take an earnest approach.

Thus, I leaned forward and said, "I will do _anything_ to help set things right. I promise."

The room filled with continual silence and the coyote kept pondering my words. Instead of an interrogation room, it felt more like a waiting room.

With a gentle smile, she then looked steadily at me. "For now, the best way you can help with that is to honorably serve your jail sentence. But I'll see what I can do."

She folded her arms together, another brief moment of quietude passed, and she took a step closer.

"You must realize that you've been charged for battery against multiple ZPD officers, disturbing the peace which is a class B felony, and for the destruction of city property. In sum, your punishable offense will be up to three months in jail until further notice. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, I figured that it served me right. "Understood."

"Good," she nodded. "So we'll start with that."

We both stared at each other and I waited for her to say something but nothing happened.

"Anything else?" I offered.

"Yes, absolutely." she accepted. "That weapon you showed me earlier? You must promise me that you will never pull that weapon out again. I don't want to see it again and I do not, I repeat, _do not_ want to hear of any mammal being threatened with it. Ever. Do I make myself clear?"

"Absolutely," I nodded. "You have my word,"

"Very good," she finished. "And I will do my best to vouch for you, Mr. Cherry. Please know that City Hall has been up the Cheif of Police's tail for the last twenty-four hours and given that you're under ZPD custody, it'll take a while to get a reliable update on your sentence. I cannot make _any_ guarantees but I'll do what I can. Sound good?"

I nodded in immense gratitude.

Following her warm smile, she kindly extended her paw out to mark the end of the interrogation. We firmly shook and it felt like there was a truce between humans and animals. Something that should've already occurred a long time ago. 

Better late than never...

Out of nowhere, there was a knock at the metal door. I supposed it was more wolf guards to escort me back into the cell, or perhaps to the next phase of my detention.

The coyote pulled out her phone to check the clock. "It looks like they're right on time,"

However, as the door slid wide open, there was no one there. Not a single soul in sight.

_Something felt off._

I looked to Rebecca but she simply smiled and nodded at whoever was standing behind my right shoulder. Thus, after pivoting myself in the chair, I was surprised to spot the famous fox-bunny duo standing next to me.

Judy then shifted her weight to one leg and placed a paw on her hip. "You don't make my job easy, do you?"


	31. Repercussion

_I never made things easy for anyone..._

_Even some of my former directors from the future could attest to that._

Judy Hopps must've spent lengths of time explaining to her superiors about all the recent events that have occurred at the ZPD. Perhaps she also had to explain the incident in the Bunnyburrow forest and I could only imagine how that all went. For a little bunny who brought an alien visitor to Zootopia, it must've been a lot on her shoulders.

Now I wondered, _what would happen to me now?_

All three animals - the bunny, the fox, and the coyote - casually stared me down in unison as if they were all thinking the same thing. I didn't like all the attention so I stared right back at them.

Of course, the uniformed fox loudly slurped from his styrofoam coffee cup to break the silence in the room. Typical.

The amount of grudge I held towards him had gradually dwindled over time... but it was still there. Grabbing him by the neck again would've been my ideal cup of tea - or in this case, coffee - but doing so would only lengthen my jail sentence. Thus, I had to play my cards right and I also had to play nice.

On another note, it was nice to see Judy again.

I could tell that she hadn't received a fair amount of rest in the last twenty-four hours. One of her bunny ears was slightly bent and her long sleeves were rolled up. Nevertheless, she still appeared alert, positive, and ready for all of this to be over.

Our previous interaction involved her having to shoot a couple of tranquilizer darts into me and I'm sure glad that was over with. A humiliating situation, to be sure, so I stared down at the floor with nothing else to say.

"How's our little troublemaker doing?" the fox asked while taking a sip.

"Better," the coyote answered. "Rough around the edges, but doing fine,"

The bunny stepped forward. "Is he good to come with us?"

The coyote closed the case file, stood up, and gave it to Judy. "Yep. He's all yours."

"Thank you, Director Pawts," Judy shook her paw. "Officer Wilde and I will take him from here."

The fox proudly - though carefully - approached me to place a new pair of restraints. Were it not for the two other animals present, I never would've yielded my arms out to him. After a small metallic click, they were locked and felt more robust than the previous set. Convenient for him but not for me.

"Very well, Officer Hopps. In the meantime, I'll do what I can on my end," the coyote smiled before turning to me. "And Mr. Cheribim?"

I turned my focus to her with the chains rattling.

She then extended her paw. "Good luck to you."

With my cuffed gauntlets, I carefully shook her little paw. These delicate little Zootopian creatures never seemed to have fear towards beings who towered over them. As she pulled her arm back, I felt a tiny slip of paper wedge between my fingers. Was it a gum wrapper? Possibly. I was unsure and pretended to not notice.

The coyote gave a little wink. "And remember, take things _slow_ ,"

"Don't worry, I'll hold his paw," the fox quipped from the doorway.

Finally, the coyote scooted past us, left the interrogation room, and waved before disappearing down another hallway. Overall, I thought she was an exceptional little interrogator and wished her the best.

I never thought that the ZIA would be the good guys but I still had my doubts. _Would Rebecca keep her word?_ Judy and Nick seemed to trust her.

Without further delay, we too filed our way out of the cramped interrogation room and I felt grateful to be out of that dump. We weren't even outside and yet the air felt a bit fresher.

The fox and bunny escorted me down another corridor past a series of metal doorways. While the duo conversed and poked fun at each other, I unfolded the slip of paper and noticed it was just a random ten-digit number. I didn't think much of it so I found the nearest wastepaper basket and tossed it away.

As we walked further, we gradually transitioned from cement flooring to carpet flooring which felt nice for a change. The cinder block walls faded away, decorative wooden panels took their place, and the station's corridors became more welcoming as bright daylight poured through the adjacent windows.

"Well, that was something back there," Nick jokingly hinted. "I'm glad you survived."

"I'm glad _we all did,"_ Judy emphasized. "Now, since Cherry has botched our _original_ plans, I guess we'll just have to improvise."

Nick playfully rolled his eyes. "Gee, and I thought I was too much baggage for everyone to handle."

"You still are." she jested.

Nick then leaned his weight on Judy's head in a casual-like manner and she immediately tickled him in the rib cage which caused him to fall over. He tried to hide his sensitivities but did a poor enough job that she went after him again.

Watching them both was amusing and no matter how many times that dumb fox tried, the sly bunny always got him back.

As we moved through a wider-looking hallway, they beckoned me to follow them. None were tall enough to properly escort me so they allowed me to freely walk between them while keeping me cuffed.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're taking you to the cliffside asylum," Nick said as he walked backward. He gestured with his paws as if he were giving a sales pitch. "It's cold, it's dark, it's cramped, and it's cozy. But don't worry, those howling dimwits will take good care of you there."

I immediately stopped walking and they stopped as well. _Was this fox being serious?_ If so, then it was time to contemplate my next escape attempt.

"Oh, shush," Judy smiled while nudging her partner. "Just tell him!"

"Alright, alright," he gave in. "I guess we're going someplace a little more spontaneous. You ready?"

He paused for effect, and I impatiently waited.

"We're taking you to the bullpen," he clapped. "Isn't that exciting?"

 _Was I going to fight a bull?_ "Why there?" I asked.

"Well, there's someone waiting for you." the fox smirked. "I hope you took the time to groom yourself."

Judy jokingly shook her head at him. "By 'someone', what he _actually_ means is everyone."

 _"Everyone?"_ I quietly uttered. "Who's everyone?"

"The ones from the ZPD lobby," she answered. "They're all waiting for you."

"Boy, are they gonna be just 'thrilled' to see you," Nick said sarcastically. "You really did quite a number on them and they _haven't_ forgotten about it."

"Which is why we're coming together," the rabbit implied. "So you can apologize to all of them."

"That's right." the fox smiled. "It'll be a happy reunion for all of us."

 _This couldn't be good._ I hesitated to walk any further and couldn't believe it. "Wait, now?"

Both began to pick up the pace. "Yep! We're heading over right now. Not another minute to lose."

I felt my walking pace drop significantly. "I might want to... think this over..."

"No time, buddy," the fox hurriedly grabbed the chain and tugged me along. "They're expecting us. Or, should I say, they're expecting _you."_

"But don't worry!" Judy advised. "Nick and I will be in there with you."

"Right on the front row, cheering you on, from the sidelines," Nick added.

I stared between them in disbelief. "What am I supposed to say?"

"We'll leave that completely up to you," she shrugged. "But I think a good apology should suffice."

I shook my head. "I don't know if I can do this."

"It'll be good for you, buddy," the fox said as he patted me on the side. "Just add a hint of pizazz to your monotonic voice and you'll be fine."

I took a step away from him and kept walking. _What did he know?_ From what I already knew from previous experience, this fox could easily be setting me up again. But the bunny seemed to be all in for it. She was one of the few animals that I trusted since there was no one else to trust.

"He's right," Judy reminded. "If you're gonna be in Zootopia for a while, then let's not have any more hard feelings between you and the ZPD."

"Not like there's plenty already," Nick chimed in.

Judy playfully punched him in the arm.

"Ow..."

I'm glad someone hit him and not me. However, it didn't make me feel any better about the situation.

"Can you take me back to jail instead?" I requested.

Judy shook her head and kept walking. "Nope, nice try."

"There'll be plenty of time for that later," the fox smiled broadly. "After all, what's better than giving a speech in front of the finest officers of Zootopia?"

"Being dead," I answered.

"Boy, that's the spirit," the fox remarked.

I clenched my fists. Since when did _my will_ have to bend to that of a fox and a bunny? This was completely ludicrous. I felt like running away, blasting a hole in the wall, jumping out to escape, and disappearing from this city - never to be seen again.

But what good would that do? They'd only send their best after me and find me again. It couldn't be worth the trouble lest someone got hurt. I gave it some thought, released the tension in my fists, and sighed. "Fine, how much further?"

"We're already here," Judy pointed at the nearby door. "You two wait outside."

_Well, that was fast..._

"Don't keep us waiting too long, Carrots," the fox winked. "Remember what happened to my neck last time?"

"You'll be fine, Slick!" Judy jested. "I'm just gonna slip in and tell them that Cherry's outside."

Nick let out a small chuckle as he stretched out his neck. "Oh, I'm sure they'll be jazzed about that,"

"I'm counting on it," Judy smiled as she cracked open the door and slipped inside.

While she was inside the briefing room, the fox and I stood outside in the hallway and we didn't speak. He tried getting me to talk but I felt too nervous at the moment to really say anything. If I had to guess, there'd be at least twenty or so mammal officers on the other side of the door, waiting to see me.

 _This would not end well._ Maybe the ZPD officers would hold enough resentment to send me straight back to jail without any further question. Why would they ever want to see my face anyway? Perhaps I'd get lucky and they'd simply dismiss me from their presence.

However, all that hope shattered when the bunny poked her head out and gave us a thumbs up.

It was time to enter. 

Nick kindly gestured me into the bullpen room and I slowly stepped inside while keeping my head hung low. I dared not to lift it. I tried to pull my hood over but Judy was quick to prevent me from doing so.

_But they were all here, as I feared._

_Everyone_ was here.

Not twenty, but well over thirty. Maybe more.

There weren't even enough chairs for everyone. Many of the mammal officers had to stand in the back and they stared me down with their arms crossed. Among them was the oversized water buffalo who gave a sternly dominant look. 

_Why did I commit to this?_

As Nick closed the door behind us, I panned my head around to see all the different species of ZPD officers. Most of them were huddled on the right side of the room - drinking away their coffee - but they immediately froze as I stepped into full view.

No one took another sip, the room fell dead silent, and everyone took a moment to get a good long look at me.

The hippos, the rhinos, the wolves, the panther, the pig, the sheep, the elephant, the cheetah, and... ... _the lions and tigers and bears, oh my..._ All the species I could ever imagine were right here. 

Worse, we were all in the same room together. It was like a police-themed zoo and I was the only human in it.

Everyone looked painfully familiar and I winced upon the sight of their medical bandages and slings. For those who didn't wear them, I could see the large bruises and welts that I inflicted upon them.

Even the chief of police had a bandaid at the base of his muzzle from when I chucked an empty tranquilizer pistol at his face. Not a proud moment for me. Everyone else seemed to have slightly worse injuries.

The multitude of looks and glances that the animal officers gave me were quite mixed. Some held a great deal of enmity, others had friction, while some appeared to be inquisitive.

But overall, I could sense the bitterness settling in.

Judy cleared her throat and gestured me to the podium so I carefully stepped to it. This was more audience than I could ever comfortably handle. Good thing I wore a helmet because I couldn't bear to look them in the eyes.

"Alright, everyone, this is Cherry." Judy presented She then paused before speaking to let the moment soak in. "As you're all probably aware, he's the one we encountered in the lobby yesterday."

No one spoke. All attention was on me.

I held onto the sides of the podium for dear life and heard the wood cracking under my nervous grip. I really wanted to leave but had nowhere to go. This was getting beyond awkward.

Silence passed, the level of antagonism seemingly increased, and the animals' glares kept me frozen in place.

Judy opened her mouth to speak again. "We've brought him here today because he'd like to say a few words."

I glared at her like she was crazy but remembered that I already agreed to it. It was all against my will, of course, but I couldn't back out now. It'd be more ideal if she spoke for me but she had confidence in what she was doing.

"...I will now turn the time over to Cherry." she gestured.

The rabbit stepped away from the podium to join the crowd of her fellow officers. She and Nick shared the same chair on the front row and all eyes were on me.

Now I felt completely stranded.

I stood at the podium and felt my legs shake from stage fright. Luckily, my emotions were masked and no one could really tell how I was truly feeling. It was a blessing but a curse because I couldn't make a sad face to demonstrate my regret to them.

I looked to the rabbit for a hint but she wouldn't do anything. All she did was smile.

 _"Say something,"_ she whispered.

The fox winked and gave a thumbs up. I could tell this was all quite entertaining to him.

The rest of the ZPD observed me with scrutiny and watched for any sudden movements. They knew what I did to them and they tried to imagine what I'd do next.

The bunny was right though. I had to say something. The longer I stood idle, the more awkward the situation would become.

 _But I couldn't speak. I forgot how to speak._ I've never addressed any crowd before. Not even in my world. I was only a simple soldier who communicated with other individual soldiers but never an entire squadron at once.

There were too many animal faces in one room and I doubted my ability to formally address them. _Saying sorry to everyone wouldn't cut it because it didn't seem sincere enough._

Thirty-seven seconds of silence passed and I grew tired of being afraid. Unable to sustain the heavy guilt any longer, I decided to take action.

"Listen, If you want an apology... then come see me in the other room... just outside this hallway." I proclaimed while pointing towards the door.

Judy and Nick looked at each other in shock. The rest of the stunned animal officers turned to each other in confusion and gasped.

"I cannot speak to all of you at once... so please come _one at a time."_ I continued before bowing my head. "...Thank you."

That's when I made my way towards the exit.

Everyone immediately stood up in place but I gestured them to not move. I raised my gauntlet to show them I had no weapon and tried to ease their fears.

To avoid startling them further, I casually walked out of the bullpen room with the door wide open. A bit of a mic drop moment for me.

Just like that, I found the nearest room across the hallway and stepped inside. I tried to flip on the light switch but there was no bulb in place. No matter, the room had enough natural light.

Turns out, it was a standard office with a dusty wooden desk, two cushion chairs, and stacks of unopened cardboard boxes. Overall, it was similar in size to the interrogation room except that it had a warmer feeling and felt more comfortable. Definitely an upgrade.

After closing the door, I sighed in relief as I sat myself down in the soft chair behind the desk. All I could do now was wait for someone to come. I figured that I'd do better with individualized apologies instead of a generic apology.

_That's what happens when you're an introvert._

My approach was uncalled for and surely it caught many of the mammal officers off guard. However, no one stormed the room to stop me. No shouts, no tranquilizer guns, and no fusses. Rather, I was all alone in this abandoned office room with the door fully unlocked for anyone to come in.

_My plan was working._

As I sat there comfortably, I wondered if anyone was willing to have a one-on-one meeting with me to receive their personalized apology. I saw multiple figures outside the blurry window and heard indistinct voices but nothing happened.

I waited for two minutes and felt reassured that no one would dare come. _Perfect._ That's exactly what I was hoping for because I didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Of course, that's when I heard a knock at the door. _Great._

Unable to do anything about it, I sighed. "Come in."


	32. Confession

The door to my temporary office remained closed but the knocking continued. It was now time to set things right with the ZPD.

"Come in!" I said louder.

The door opened and I was curious to see which ZPD officer would be brave enough to come unto me. A young slender figure stepped inside and it was the same black panther I had encountered in the ZPD hallway right after I grabbed Nick by the neck. In other words, the same panther who tried to tase me.

He held an ice-packet to his eye, gave me a flinty stare, and sat down across from me. I waited for him to speak but he said nothing. Was he being shy? I couldn't tell so I decided to break the ice.

"How's your eye?" I asked with concern.

"Stings," he said flatly.

"That's too bad," I said while looking down at the desktop and then back at him. "I'm sorry, officer."

"I don't care what you say," he growled. "Your apology means nothing to me."

I scooted my chair closer to the desk. "Then why are you here?"

He stopped to think. "I'm here because... I wanna know why you didn't drop."

"Drop?"

He grew irritated. " _I shot you_ , remember? Any mammal would immediately drop on sight."

This panther had no idea. "Doesn't always work that way," I said.

"Yeah? Well, it should've." he insisted. "I know I had you."

Since everyone in this world was a furry animal, I could see why he'd be disappointed to encounter a foreign animal that didn't drop like everyone else. 

"If the others couldn't do it, neither could you," I indicated.

He gave an inquisitive stare. "But... how come _you_ didn't drop?"

I said nothing and tried to get a visual on his shirt badge. However, his arm covered it while he held up the ice pack. The last thing I wanted was to be interrogated again so I had to divert the conversation. 

"What's your name?" I asked.

He hesitated but answered. "Klawford. Officer Klawford."

"Okay, Klawford, you seem like a good officer - who tries to learn from his mistakes - so I'll give you a hint: If one tool doesn't work, use a different one."

By that, I meant that if his taser didn't work, then he ought to switch to something else on his utility belt. Pepper spray, tranquilizer, flashlight, fly swatter, whatever. Sometimes it's necessary and more effective to switch to a secondary in the heat of conflict. Of course, he would've failed either way to take me down but at least he could've lasted longer.

The panther pondered for a moment and winced at the pain of his eye. "That's... that's _all_ you're going to tell me?"

I slowly nodded. "That's it."

He gave a pensive frown, hoping I'd elaborate further but to no avail. "Well then, I guess I'll keep that in mind," he noted.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Yes, plenty. I've got many more questions for you," he mentioned before turning his head to the door. "But maybe next time... because there's a long line outside."

I was a bit surprised, hoping it wasn't true. "Really?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Thankfully, I'm not the only mammal who's been afflicted."

I felt the salt rub in my wound. "Again, you have my full apology,"

Before he said anything, he carefully examined me with his sharp panther eyes. It felt as though he were searching for a weakness in case he was ever given the opportunity to face me again. Luckily for both of us, I had no reservation whatsoever to commence round two.

"I will also keep that in mind." he slowly stood up and backed himself towards the door. He paused to think of something else to say but nothing came to him. Shaking his thoughts, he politely bowed his head. "Good day to you."

"Likewise," I saluted.

The panther left and I was all alone again. Soon enough, another animal stepped inside and caused me to tense up greatly.

It was the rhino.

Not the one I met on the street - but the one I met in the lobby. The one who smashed me to oblivion.

Every step he took vibrated the desk so I tried my best to remain in place. I forgot how much mass he packed and worried he'd crush the chair he sat in. However, the seat didn't break, he folded his arms, and gave the most menacing stare. 

"Officer... Krumpanski?" I nervously recalled.

He raised an eyebrow. "...Yes?"

I slowly exhaled. "You did me a fair treatment,"

He snorted deeply. "That I did."

I could sense proudness in his deadpan expression. Perhaps it was more toward dominance but it all felt the same.

"Well... " I tensely continued. "...I'm _glad_ you did it."

No response came from him except a raised eyebrow. He continued to stare me down suspiciously.

"...And I'm sorry about your fellow officers," I softly added. "That... was wrong of me."

"Yep," he solemnly agreed. 

I hoped he'd say something more but he didn't. "It won't happen again," I said.

He leaned forward with another intensive stare. "Good."

This rhino didn't talk much and his one-word answers were mildly irritating. I couldn't tell if I was making the conversation awkward or if he was.

Now I wanted him to leave. His presence gave me anxiety and painful flashbacks of being thrown across the lobby like a space ragdoll. But how could I proceed without being impolite or risk being smashed? There had to be a way to end this peacefully.

I started by giving him a thumbs up. Hopefully, this would lighten the mood.

It didn't.

Now I was embarrassing myself.

No change in expression on his part. Just awkward silence and him picking at his teeth. There had to be something else I could do other than continuously repeat vain apologies to him. Aside from being indirectly pointed at with a pistol in the lobby, he was never subject to any of my blunt attacks. Thank goodness for that. Nevertheless, he remained a stalwart supporter of his fellow ZPD officers.

Since his fist was obviously too oversized for a handshake, I held out my cuffed arms for a fist bump. "Right, so... we good then?"

But he only gave an imperious glance and did nothing.

However, he suddenly used his fist to connect with my fist. _Great, a connection was forming._

But after a few seconds, he used his giant fist to push against my fist. This caused me and my chair to slide a few feet back until I crashed into the back wall, knocking over a couple of empty picture frames and shattering them. 

_Okay, that just happened._

He let out a low chuckle, stood up, and heavily treaded his way out of the room.

A little dry sense of humor but I'd take it. Thus, I stood back up, brushed off the wooden fragments from my cloak, and repositioned my chair. Looks like I'd be getting blamed for the mess. _Great._

Using my boot, I quickly slid the scraps underneath the desk to get them out of sight. Hopefully, before someone else came in.

But the door remained closed for a fair amount of time. Longer than I had anticipated. Did everyone else decide not to come?

 _Nevermind_ , there were two loud knocks at the door.

Without my say, another large animal stepped inside which caused the entire desk to vibrate. _Another rhino?_

No, it was an African elephant. He had pinkish-gray skin, green eyes, and stood twenty-seven percent taller than the rhino. Granted, the elephant wasn't as wide in stature but he had an imposing height, especially for walking on two legs.

He walked up to the desk, looked down upon me, and didn't take a seat. "Dude, that was not cool!" the female voice yelped.

I didn't realize she was a female elephant. Some animal genders are a little harder to determine when you can't see their long eyelashes. But her voice gave it away.

I tried to be friendly. "Officer...?"

" _Francine_ Pennington," she answered in a robust-like manner. "And you're the Cherry, aren't you?"

"The white elephant," I added.

She placed both arms on her hips that were much wider than her shoulders. "Whatever you are, that's _irrelephant_. All I care about is why the heck you did it?"

I shook my head then shrugged. "Wasn't thinking straight,"

"Heh, obviously not," she tooted with her trumpet. "I asked you _many_ times to stop and you didn't stop, did you?."

That's right, she invited me multiple times to surrender in the lobby. "I should've listened," I admitted.

"But with _what?"_ she mockingly asked while observing me. "You don't have any ears on you, do you?"

"I do," I defended. "But not as overly big or as flappy as yours."

She took a bold step closer. "You're a real pain in the trunk, I hope you know that. I couldn't even tramp home after what you did to me!" she nagged while looming over the desk. "You can't kick a female officer, say you're _'sorry',_ and expect me to not do something about it!"

Now she was getting all fired up. Not so much out of aggression but more out of passion. There was something else that she wanted. I didn't know what it was but I knew that a verbal apology wouldn't suffice. I had to venture a guess.

Thus, I stood up behind the desk and looked her in the eyes. "Listen, Francine. If you want to give me a restraining order, then give it."

The elephant's head suddenly tilted and she smiled. "Heh, oh yeah?"

Without warning, she reached over the desk and grabbed me. Next, she put me in a tight headlock - causing my legs to dangle - and then she gave me a noogie.

"Argh! That's... _not_ what I meant...," I struggled to speak, hoping she'd set me free.

She gave another noogie, except with such force that I could feel the helmet rubbing against my skull. Finally, she dropped me and I fell onto all fours.

 _Served me right, I suppose._ Would've been nice if she told me beforehand; But, then again, I never warned anyone in the lobby.

I painfully stood up, stretched my neck, and decided to lean on the desk because _that actually hurt_. But the elephant's face filled with immense satisfaction and she got what she wanted.

"Now we're good." she smiled cheerfully.

She then headed for the door and I saw her give a fellow rhino officer a gratifying fist bump before the door closed. Honestly, it felt like mockery, but if it made them happy, then perhaps it would pay off.

With my neck still aching, I decided to sit down in the desk chair again. 

I tried to guess the next animal that would step through that door.

But my guess was wrong.

It had to be the red fox.

 _What was he doing?_ He didn't need to come in here. 

I stood up in mild protest. " _Nick?"_

He came forward. "How are you holding up, my friend? You've got some nerve coming in here by yourself."

"Nothing has changed since last time," I said, shaking my head. "We already spoke three chapters ago."

"Ha! I don't know what you're talking about, but you can never get enough of Officer Wilde," he smirked.

"I disagree,"

He rolled his eyes. "Right. But if you're giving our free apologies like circus candy, I'd like one too," he coaxed, as he climbed into the chair and placed his feet on the desk to get comfortable. "You never said foxes couldn't get one, did you?"

I stood up and folded my arms while glaring down at him, "I already gave you one."

He gave an amused scoff. "I don't think you ever did."

Silence passed and I rolled my eyes at him. With his arms resting behind his head, the fox patiently waited.

I hesitated but had to get him out of this room one way or another. "Fine... I'm sorry,"

His ear twitched and he leaned forward. "Buddy, I can't hear you under all the apparatus," he gestured to his muzzle in reference to my helmet. "Don't be shy, it's only you and me. Take it off so I can hear you better."

"You can hear me just fine," I refused. "Now, step out. You're holding up the line."

He stood up in his chair. "When are you going to reveal your secret identity to me?"

I didn't answer and instead walked towards the door with mild irritation in each step. "Your time's up. Out you go," I directed and held the door open.

Unphased, he slid off the chair and smirked. "It's only a matter of time. You'll eventually warm up to me."

 _Perhaps not_ , I muttered to myself. It was a mistake to remove my helmet in Bunnyburrows and I wouldn't allow anyone in Zootopia to tempt me.

Instinctively, I closed the door - mostly to keep the fox out - but I was met with a giant paw that prevented the door from closing. Another mammal was trying to enter.

"My bad, come in," I apologized, as I propped the door open.

It was one of the tiger officers.

Hopefully the friendlier version of Shere Khan.

He stood slightly taller than me and steadily gazed at me while I closed the door behind him. He suspiciously stood in place while I took my seat behind the desk.

"Please, sit down," I instructed.

He carefully surveyed my immediate area with a paw on his holster. His other arm was cradled in a police-grade medical sling. Being cautious, he eventually took a seat with a perfect posture while his tail was swinging about.

None of us spoke a word so I took the time to identify him by his police badge. "Officer Fangmeyer?" I asked.

He nodded. "That's me."

I extended my gauntlet to him. "The name's Cheribim,"

He firmly shook but didn't break eye contact. He kept a serious face as any committed police officer would when confronting a dangerous suspect.

"How are you doing?" I awkwardly asked.

"Doing okay, I guess."

I didn't have to ask why. From his injured arm, I couldn't remember what I did to him exactly but I knew it was painful.

"Sorry about your arm," I pointed at the sling.

He looked down and massaged his tricep. "I've had worse."

"Really?" I asked, trying to picture his past experiences as an officer. "What happened?"

He leaned forward. "Do you remember hearing the tragedy in Tundratown?"

"I remember the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise," I answered. "But not Tundratown."

The tiger gave me a confused look. I couldn't help it.

"It was during the Night Howler Crisis," he explained. "We were on Tundratown SWAT when a savage polar bear pounced on a poor caribou." he then rolled up his sleeve to present a nasty 13-inch scar etched along the bottom of his striped tricep. "We barely held the bear long enough before backup arrived. Many more were _also_ in critical condition in subsequent attacks that nearly tore this city apart."

"I can only imagine," I pondered, as I remembered what Judy told me back in the forest. "Must've been difficult."

"They were dire times for everyone," the tiger officer concurred. "We were put to the test, but at the end of it, we all came out as a stronger herd."

"Well... you all seem strong," I said, as I rubbed my sore neck. "I underestimated you,"

He leaned forward. "You're lucky we held back,"

 _"So are you,"_ I murmured.

His ear twitched in suspicion. "What was that?"

"I said that I agree," I spoke more clearly. "Thank goodness you all held back,"

Officer Fangmeyer gave an authoritative glare. "Your animalistic behavior will not be tolerated around here," he declared. "Whatever you _pulled off_ in the main lobby is beyond my comprehension. But regardless, if it _ever_ threatens _any_ of my fellow officers, I will take proper action."

This tiger meant it. I could sense a high level of loyalty in his tone.

Out of respect, I bowed my head. "I understand,"

After a brief moment of silent guilt that seemed to flow into every corner of the room, the tiger stood up from his spot.

"I've got my eye on you," he reminded. "Every day, we put our lives on the line for Zootopia so please don't make our jobs any harder than they need to be. Also... I find your approach to make amends a bit... _strange_ , but I appreciate your time."

"And I appreciate you coming in," I finished.

With nothing else to say, the striped officer backed himself towards the door. He took one more careful glance before he exited the room.

I admired the officer's sense of duty and his desire to stand up for his fellow mammals. He was a victim of my attacks but he cared more for their safety than he did for his own. Hopefully, we could get along better later down the road as long as I didn't make a mess of things.

As I sat behind the desk, I noticed a bright beam of sunlight reflecting off the polished surface. _Was it late afternoon already?_ The window's blinds were partially closed behind me so I decided to pull the string to allow more light to enter the office room.

At last, the office had better natural lighting and a homier feel to it.

Wearing an alloy-armored suit in a room with a wooden finish felt a bit out of place but I made the best of it. It would've been nice to take a break by removing my helmet but there was another knock on the door.

"Come in,"

The door opened and two paws reached around the frame. A furry head popped out and the pointy ears made it abundantly clear that it was a white wolf. He stepped inside but was followed by another figure. _A timberwolf, in fact._

"One at a time, please," I reminded.

But they both continued to prowl forward. I could tell they were partners.

"Oh, my god!" the timberwolf gasped. "You're that guy!"

I pointed my finger at him. " _Watch your mouth_ ,"

"I'm sorry, it's just... _wow!"_ he said astoundingly. "We can't believe you're actually here,"

They briskly took their seats in front of the desk.

The white wolf tilted his head sideways. "You're not going to hurt us again, are you?"

I shook my head. "I have no reason to."

Both wolves sighed in relief.

"Good, because my gal didn't like the massive welt you gave me," he laughed half-heartedly. "It was a rough date last night."

"Same here," the white wolf seconded. "Almost felt like canceling mine,"

"But we didn't," the timberwolf added. "One does not simply skip out on a cute date, am I right?"

I had no idea what they were talking about.

"Right, so... were you the one I punched in the face?" I asked, pointing to the wolf. "Or was it the chest?"

Both glanced at each other before answering.

"You actually punched him in the throat... " the other motioned with his paw. " ...and I believe _you_ threw me into the wall... and then onto the bench."

"And I believe you stomped on my tail." the other corresponded.

"Yep, mine too,"

I sighed. "I... I didn't mean that."

"We certainly hoped not." the wolf nervously chuckled. "You definitely packed a punch."

"Not to mention, you were armed to the teeth," the other mentioned. "Without _actually_ baring any teeth."

"Yeah, what _was_ that _thing_ by the way?" he wondered. "It straight up looked like something from one of those sci-fi shows."

The wolves turned to me for an answer but I crossed my forearms in negation. "I have no comment on that," I indicated. "But - I am sorry for what I did to both of you."

The white wolf shrugged. "Well, It is what we signed up for. This job's unpredictable at times, especially in _your_ particular case sir, but hey, we'll eventually recover from it."

"Yeah, don't worry about us," the other wolf casually agreed. "Of course, as long as you don't do it again, there's no reason for us to have any rancor."

"In the meantime, we'll just have to wear our battle scars proudly," said the wolf.

"Maybe I'll let my fur grow out." the other wolf considered. "That ought to cover them up."

His partner shook his head. "Too bad it ain't winter anymore cause you missed your opportunity,"

"Oh, well. This month, It's our turn to patrol Sahara square... so a thick undercoat wouldn't do me any good,"

"Ain't that the truth." the other agreed. "Even in my white fur, I still can't take the draining heat,"

In this manner, the wolves continued to converse with one another for the next two minutes. I sat there in silence, waiting to say something, but they kept talking to one another. I felt glad that they weren't having any hard feelings towards me but I decided to step in.

"Look, guys," I interrupted," I'm glad you came in but others are waiting."

"Ah, yes, you're right," the timberwolf agreed. "We'd best get going then."

The white wolf checked his phone. "And just in time for our lunch break. I'm starving!"

"I guess we'll see you around, Mr... um... _Chairibium_ , was it?"

"Cherry." I insisted. "And your names?"

"I'm Officer Barkens, and this is Officer Wolfram, my co-alpha." he presented.

"Ha, he wishes," the other chuckled.

I shook both of their paws at the same time. "Pleasure,"

He looked in confusion. "No offense, but you've got some strange-looking paws,"

"I second that," the white wolf nodded. "You might wanna rub on some fur lotion or something."

"Yeah, looks painful," he pointed.

I tapped both gauntlets together. "That's how they are, but thank you."

"Wow, well... stay outta trouble, if you can help it,"

"Hope you're not locked up for too long."

"Same." I agreed.

The two wolves headed for the door but took a quick selfie while I was in the far background. No permission obtained from me whatsoever. They simply did it and left. _That was annoying_.

I waited for the door to open but all I saw were figure silhouettes through the small semi-transparent window. One kept moving back and forth rapidly as if there were some kind of minor struggle going on. 

It didn't seem like much until I heard arguing.

The walls muffled the voices so I couldn't make out what they were saying. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

After it died down, the door cracked open and I saw the plump face of a cheetah who nervously peeked into the room.

I tried to appear friendly in my sitting posture but he quickly disappeared in fright.

Nevertheless, two figures pushed him into the room. Judy was one of them.

"It's fine Ben, you got this!" she assured.

They patted him on the back and left him alone. The poor cheetah did nothing but slouch in fear which caused him and his belly fat deposits to tremble.

"Relax, I'm not gonna shoot you," I reassured.

That didn't help. If anything, it boosted his anxiety. Luckily, I never inflicted any harm on him - at least I didn't recall doing so - which meant that an apology should be easy enough.

"The name's Cherry," I greeted.

No response, just a frantic nod. He froze in place due to shyness. Even though cherries are found on top of milkshakes, that didn't quite get him all perked up.

"Your name?" I asked.

His mind temporarily went blank. "Oh, umm... Benjamin Clawhauser."

I examined the gravitationally challenged Cheetah as he nervously partook of the large box of cereal. He shakingly poured the pebbles into his paw and fed them to himself.

"I see you like to eat," I observed.

"What? Oh, this?" he held up the box. "These are my Lucky Chomps," he poured more into his mouth. "I used to eat three boxes a day but now I've got it down to two," he said with his mouth full.

I held out my hand. "Can I have some?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, um, sure! Can't say no."

He kindly poured some into the palm of my gauntlet. The sugary content was worrisome but I ate it anyway. "Thanks,"

"Always happy to share my favorite snack," he smiled before giving me a confused look. "Wait, how are you chewing that? Is your mouth under your, um, like chin or something?"

I finished crunching down the cereal and shook my head. "Don't ask."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." he overly gasped. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"You're fine," I said as I reached for the box across the table and poured more cereal pebbles into my hand. "So, what else do you like?" I asked, hoping it wasn't just eating.

His tail whipped back and forth in excitement. "Are you familiar with Gazelle, the greatest singer of our lifetime? _The angel with horns?"_

I loudly chowed down the handful of cereal and shook my head. "No."

He immediately pulled his phone out at 80 miles an hour and tapped a colorful icon on his screen. "Okay, hold on! Keep watching! Who's that beside her? Who is it?"

He presented his phone and I saw a weird-looking gazelle wearing a red bikini with a poorly photoshopped fat cheetah head pasted over a tiger's body. This world was getting weird.

"See that?" he happily pointed. "That's me dancing next to her! It looks so real! Doesn't it look real? "

I shook my head.

"Yeah, it's not, it's just an app I've had for a few months." he sadly admitted before his ears happily perked up again. "But isn't she just gorgeous?"

I lightly shrugged. "She's okay... I guess."

The cheetah gasped. "Whaaat? What do you _mean?_ She made Zootopia's Top 10 in modeling!" he proceeded in swiping through a series of pictures to prove a point. _"See?"_

I wasn't convinced. Sure, she was elegant-looking and fashionable, but that's it. Just an animal, not a human.

Whoever selected Zootopian models ought to be fired, I thought. Then again, choosing from a list containing only animals would make the job that much harder.

"I guess the app and pictures don't do her justice, aww! But wait until you see her in real life!" the cheetah gushed. "Her next concert starts in one month!"

"Thankfully, I'll be in jail by then."

His ears dropped. "Oh, really? Aww, I'm sorry about that! But um, maybe, we could wheel in a TV. That way, you don't miss out. What do you think of that? Won't that be great?"

"Sure," I said. "As long as there's a remote to change the channel."

"Oh, but trust me, you won't regret it!" the cheetah passionately beamed. "It's gonna be sooo awesome! I even preordered my new Gazelle themed mug!"

I remembered seeing shattered glass fragments in the lobby that were pink-colored. "Did I break your old one?"

He looked a bit disappointed. "Umm, well, you kinda did, yeah."

"Sorry about that."

"Oh, that's okay, really." he insisted. "I've actually got two extras at home."

"Right. I figured you might."

"Ha! Of course!" he said grinningly.

Brief silence passed between us but it was a good type of silence for we enjoyed each other's company. However, his feminine stare got increasingly uncomfortable.

"And, I gotta tell you, you're not as bad as I thought you'd be," he happily continued. "You really had me there in the lobby... but, of course, you won't be doing that again any time soon... right?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "I don't plan on it."

In this manner, we continued to chat about favorite foods, movies, music, and other miscellaneous items. There wasn't any one-to-one correspondence between our interests but we learned a great deal from each other. He had his bizarre passions but I appreciated his willingness to come forward.

We ended on a good note and I gave the corpulent cheetah a gentle fist bump as he exited the room.

The next animal officer I saw was a polar bear who reminded me of those Coca-Cola commercials from Times Square. Coincidentally, he held an unopened red can of soda with similar lettering except that it read as Cowca Cowla. _How coincidental._

Feeling thirsty from the sugary cereal that Clawhauswer gave me, I extended my arm to the bear. "Can I have that?"

"No. Never," he growled. "You don't deserve it."

I took that as a challenge and gave him my full attention. "What do I have to do?"

My question caught him by surprise. "Well, there ain't much you can do because you've already done enough damage."

I carefully examed him for injuries and noticed something on his face "Did I give you black eyes?"

"No," he grumbled. "Polar bears have _black fur_ around their eyes."

Now I felt foolish and ignorant. "Right, I should've known."

"You're not from around here, are you?" he glared suspiciously.

"I'm from out of town," I hinted.

"What are you?" he demanded. "You're the most bizarre arctic animal I've ever seen. Are you even an _animal?"_

I pointed at his soda again because I felt thirsty. "Drink, please. Then I'll tell you."

"Not a chance," he scoffed "I paid three bucks for this. If you want it, you gotta earn it my way."

 _He got ripped off at the vending machine._ "Fine," I said. "What's the next step?"

He thought for a minute until he nodded in satisfaction at his own idea. "You'll have to beat me in an arm wrestle." he challenged.

That took me by surprise but I felt desirous to go for it. "If I win, then I get your Coca Cola?"

He gave a confused glare.

"--your _Cowca Cowla?"_ I quickly corrected.

Now he understood. "Yes... but if you lose, then you tell me your exact species."

I was eager for two things: Trying a foreign soda and quenching my thirst. "Deal."

Without further delay, we quickly positioned ourselves across from one another. We both held our own corners of the office desk while our elbows were propped on the tabletop surface.

As soon as he clasped his paw around my gauntlet, my eyes widened at his brute size for I had never arm-wrestled with a polar bear before. Such an opportunity would only be reserved for lunatics back in my world, assuming it was done before the final era of global warming.

The bear locked his eyes with mine and we were both ready for our match. He gave the signal. "Three... two... one... _Go!"_

_Away we went._

Both our arms shook midway through, we twisted our wrists, none of us would budge, and our pride began to skyrocket. After exerting all the strength I could muster, I felt my arm dominating his. Granted, it was incredibly difficult and I questioned whether any of this was worth it for a silly can of soda. I shouldn't even be drinking soda but it sounded too tasty right now.

Nearing victory, I looked to the polar bear who struggled to hold his position until I realized that a conceited smile filled his face. _Was he playing all along?_ Sweat fell from my brow, the polar bear flexed his arm, and he suddenly pulled a UNO by pinning my arm down in seconds. It was over and he let out a victorious growl.

_He won._

"Well that was easy," he mockingly smiled. "You're almost as good as Officer Delgato and Johnson. Even _they_ couldn't beat me."

I painfully gripped my wrist. "You almost broke my arm."

He laughed. "After what I saw you do yesterday and what you're capable of, that means a lot."

I shook my wrist back and forth, hoping the pain would wither away, but it was all the same. Even with a good amount of gauntlet armor, a blunt enough force could still leave a mark.

He took the soda can, opened it in front of me, and took sips to rub in his victory. Now it felt like those commercials all over again. "Since I'm the winner here, tell me what you are," he said proudly.

I glanced at myself, unable to come up with something decent. "What do you think I am?"

He finished the can of soda and crushed it with one paw. "You're definitely not a polar bear, you got the tail all wrong, you don't even have a muzzle, and you've got uncanny spider eyes." he critiqued. Without looking, he tossed the crushed soda can directly into the wastebasket behind him. _Impressive._

"The only other thing I can think of is that monster from that one movie." he continued. "Too bad you're not as strong as him."

I clenched both fists to contain myself. If I were a monstrous supernatural being who was responsible for physical disturbances such as loud noises and minor destruction of property, then there had to a good name for that. After reflecting upon my mental database of all the thriller movies I've seen, something finally came. 

"If a monster's what you think, then I'm a...Polargeist."

His face turned baffled. "A... _what?"_

 _"Polar-geist,"_ I reiterated. It was a play on words between polar and poltergeist.

He processed for a minute then gave a mocking smile. "Sounds weak, but I'll take it."

"As you said, you know what I'm capable of," I reminded.

"And yet, I beat you with my raw strength," he said. "That's just what I needed for today and I don't need your apology."

I shrugged. "If that makes you happy, then I'm happy."

"Oh, I'm happy alright," he said before his phone began ringing. He stopped to check then stood up to tower over me. "My wife's calling. We're gonna go get some ice burgers."

"Enjoy,"

"Oh, we will," he said roughly.

Before he turned to face the door, I caught glimpse of his nametag which read as Officer Anderson. Finally, someone who had a normal last name. However, the tradeoff would be an animal-themed first name.

The next animal was a lion named Officer Delgato. He had another fellow lion partner who would've joined our session if it weren't for all the grudge he held towards me. Apparently, I caused him quite a bit of extensive injuries so I ended up apologizing to Delgato on his behalf while hoping the message could be passed on. The goal was to set things right but I knew it would take time. The turnout of animal officers was great so far but I knew that many purposely chose to not come. 

_How could I blame them for that?_

If someone punched me in the muzzle and threw me across the room, then I'd never want to see their face again either.

The next officer who came in after the lion took me by surprise. She was an average pig with blonde hair, silver eyes, filled with attitude, and the same one who bashed me in the face with a police baton.

However, instead of a wooden baton, I noticed a stainless steel baton strapped to her utility belt - most likely as a precaution. _Understandable._ She pulled her chair away from the desk and gave me an ugly impression as if I were hideous. _Again, understandable, based on my looks._

"A destructive creature like you ought to be locked up _for good,"_ she scowled. "Whatever you claim yourself to be."

I wasn't in the mood for this so I decided to change gears. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Helen," she replied. " _Officer_ Helen Swinton."

"That's nice. You look like a Helen."

She wasn't pleased with my willingness to be friendly for she must've thought that I was patronizing her. I couldn't make everyone happy but I had to try. 

Despite her minor temperament, she had some good in her and cared about everyone's safety. I could tell that she was remarkably intelligent based on all the broken Zootopian laws she consistently quoted me throughout our conversation. Unless, of course, she was making it all up, which didn't seem likely.

Had she smiled at least once, she might've made an ideal candidate for mayor of Zootopia. Thankfully, my mind quickly scrapped the idea because she treated me like a box of scraps. Thus, she was destined to be stuck as a warden officer and nothing more.

We ended the conversation on a compromise but nothing constructive was gained from our one-on-one. She's the animal who bashed away my facial disguise so she gave plenty of remarks on how poorly planned it all was. At one point, she even called it imposturous that I'd try to assimilate myself as a Zootopian.

With all things considered, humans were often cruel to pigs so it was my turn to take the heat for it. Luckily, her blonde hair made me lose my appetite for my favorite breakfast.

After all her bickering, the swine finally left me alone. I patiently sat in my temporary office, waiting for someone else who was brave enough to enter. In a way, I felt like a school principal who handled complaints and grievances like a champion.

An intermission came and was perhaps the longest time that I hadn't seen anyone open the door across from me. _Did everyone decide to call it a day?_ Hopefully not, because I didn't want to end this session on an unsatisfactory note.

Three minutes later, I thought I heard a knock but no one came in. _Strange._ It must've been me tapping the wooden desktop impatiently Another sound was heard but it was only my knee thudding against the underwood of the desk. 

Sooner or later, I'd have to go back to jail so I took a moment to enjoy the comparatively cozy office space. It would've been nice to have more visitors to give apologies but I couldn't control their free agency. 

I turned around to face the only window in the room to obtain a better visual of the outside world. I scooted the cloth curtains and couldn't help but admire the Zootopian skyline filled with eccentric skyscrapers. It was a beautiful day outside with the clean air, blue sky, and fluffy white clouds that every man could only dream of in my previous world. To replicate such scenery would require CGI but that wouldn't cut it.

However, the longer I stared outside, the harder it felt for me to accept the reality of being locked up for the next couple of weeks. _Might as well accept it now_. Thus, I closed the curtains and pivoted until I flinched in surprise.

I honestly was not expecting someone.

It was a dark grey timberwolf officer. 

He simply sat in the chair, paws resting on the desk, and appeared to be waiting for me. Unlike other animal officers, he seemed much more mellow and relaxed.

Still feeling stumped by his sudden presence, I promptly returned to my seat. "How long you been sitting there?" I asked.

"Five minutes," he calmly replied.

 _I must've been zoned out._ Never thought my hearing was that bad unless he had some dead silence perk activated."Not many can sneak up on me like that,"

"It's in my family's blood," he said as he made eye contact. "Plus, the soft pads and carpet make it easier."

"Right...." I nodded somewhat in acceptance. Well... I'm glad you're here."

The wolf likewise nodded. "Me too."

 _But why would he feel the same?_ In the lobby, I punched him at least twice. 

I checked his uniform for a badge identifier but all he wore was a dark blue t-shirt with fainted ZPD lettering.

After a moment of silence, I asked, "Identify yourself."

"Officer Wolford," he answered.

His name rang many bells and took me back to the BunnyBurrow forest. Could it really be him? I remembered his name was brought up a couple of times with that one black-furred family.

"Wolfard?" I thought out loud. "I know your friend, Jay."

Both his ears perked up. "You do?"

"Yes," I said proudly.

"How do you know him?" the wolf slanted his head and asked.

A slight frown came to me. "Well, I shot him in the Bunnyburrow Forest..."

His eyes widened but he had no words to utter.

"...and I missed," I nervously continued. "But things worked out."

I half expected the grey wolf to react harshly but he surprisingly kept his peace.

"So I've heard," he recalled while fidgetting with the claws on his paws. He made a small fist but ended up laying his paw flat. "You're the same one then."

I nodded in shame and didn't know what else to say. Wolves were naturally loyal creatures and I could only imagine the strong sentiment of meeting someone who put your friend in harm's way.

An interval of time passed and none of us said anything to each other. The grey wolf continued to stare me down here and there while I hung my head low. Thankfully, I've never taken anyone's life in Zootopia but when they begged me to spare it - as Jay once did - I felt overwhelmed.

"I'm glad my buddy is okay," the wolf finally spoke softly.

I leaned forward and looked him in the eye. "I really am sorry... for what I did... to both of you."

The wolf stopped to look down for a brief moment before returning his gaze. "If there's one thing Jay taught me well," he said. "It's the power of forgiveness."

For some reason, that really hit me home. Canines had the vital attribute that so many humans struggled to learn throughout their lifetime. What took us over 107 years to fully learn was already well understood by our average furry companions in their unjustly shortened lifespan.

Granted, I was talking to a wolf - who greatly differed from those found back home - but the same ancestral qualities were all still there. Loyalty and understanding.

But these wolves were nearly shot and yet, both were willing to put it all behind them. They had no idea what my weapon could've done to them but they didn't care. The chose to give a second chance even though I didn't deserve it.

With nothing else to say, I felt grateful for the officer's sincerity and mellow nature. He extended his wolven paw to me but I hesitated. After a time of pondering, we finally shook on it.

"Thank you,"

He gave a calm nod. "Don't mention it."

We bid each other farewell and I was back to being alone again. That was a much better one-on-one than I had expected.

I figured Officer Wolfard would be the last member of the ZPD to come see me in the office. However, three more officers ended up visiting within a short time span.

One officer was a large hippo with pink skin, square-shaped teeth, and had a last name of Higgins. Our conversation was brief and minimal. The only thing that scared me was his immense yawn because I felt like he was going to swallow me up entirely. Never in my life had I seen a mammal with such a big mouth who spoke so little. At least I felt much better after our one-on-one session than before.

The second officer was a large black bear who seemed friendly for the most part but kept showing me the 'black bruises' that I left him. He told me they were visually obvious but I had an incredibly hard time spotting them. He presented me with a couple of welts on his arms but I founding nothing egregious about them until I felt their swelling curvature. Even then, they weren't that bad.

"You also decked me in the face real good," he said as he proudly pointed toward his muzzle. "See that? That hurt more than getting honey-stuck fur."

I squinted but couldn't see anything. "I thought I punched you in the shoulder."

"Nah, mister, my shoulder's fine. You left a mark here, look." he pointed in the same spot again.

Still nothing. I couldn't understand what he fussed about. "No, you look shipshape, officer."

He gave a smug smile. "How about now?" 

The bear opened his jaw to reveal his chompers and behold, his teeth were quite uneven. In fact, his two front right teeth were missing entirely.

"Oh..."

 _"Now_ you believe me?" he asked with his mouth wide open.

I clenched both gauntlets together and shook my head in self disapproval. "You got dental insurance in this world?"

He closed his jaw and moved it side to side. "As a matter of fact, I do," he answered jollily. "...And it's a good one too... for your own sake."

The last few minutes of our conversation were unbearably awkward but it all seemed to work out in the end. I never got mauled so I considered that a success in itself. Bear encounters on my planet were quick and easy but a civilized society like Zootopia had its own protective rules which begged for human improvisation.

Things were finally wrapping up and I heard another knock at the door. This one was different because the knocks were rapid and eager for entry. Wondering who it could've been, I sat up straight and waited for the door to open.

A medium-sized figure stepped inside and it was the same white wolf from the lobby birthday party. _About time he showed up._

I noticed he was a bit more stout than the average wolf, had a fluffier tail, and had a slight hunch when walking. As he sat down before me, he puffed up his chest and straightened himself out.

"Officer Grizzoli," I identified.

This seemed to impress him. "You know who I am?"

"Your name only appeared ten times in the lobby," I recalled. There were signs and banners everywhere.

He contemplated for a second then nodded in agreement. "True, it was my birthday, after all."

"So what took you so long?" I wondered.

He squinted his eyes. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"You didn't show up until _after_ Judy tased me, remember?"

He took a second to reflect back. "Ah, yes, I heard about that!" he said excitedly. "Officer Hopps got you good! And yes, I had to run a few birthday errands but I didn't know the ZPD would have such a big surprise all prepared for me. Let alone, _a double surprise_ from your unexpected visit _."_

I felt ashamed. "Sorry that I ruined your birthday,"

"Hey, no sweat," he nervously laughed. "I got there late so you didn't even hurt me or anything. We ended up having a fun party!"

I sighed in relief. "Good, I'm glad,"

He collected himself and sat on the edge of his seat. "But I must say, you _really did_ mess up my fellow officers. I even brought in a Twister game but most of them were too sore to play it. Whatever you did was pretty savage..."

"I know, I'm working on the apologies," I explained.

"Happy to hear that," he said as he straightened his posture and popped his neck. "It'll probably take you a good amount of time but I know they'll appreciate it."

I leaned inward. "You don't happen to have any ideas, do you?"

He placed a paw underneath his chin and took a moment to ponder. "This may sound silly but you could buy them all pizza sometime. Just throw in a couple of Amazon Supremes in there and you'd be all set. That'd be cool!"

"Not a bad idea, "I thought out loud. "Problem is, Officer, I'm not very liquid right now."

His ears fell back. "Oh, nevermind then... I forgot that you have an incarceration period."

Indeed, I did. If I had my earnings from my previous world, then I might've been able to compensate the ZPD officers. However, extraterrestrial currency doesn't exactly transfer between universes. 

"I'll figure something else out."

"Maybe I can help you?" Grizzoli offered. "I love pizza so I don't mind lending a paw. There's a buddy of mine who works a joint in Sahara Square."

"Let me handle it my own way." I declined. "But thanks though."

"No problem!" he nodded. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to think of something over the next month or so."

 _Month?_ I dreaded to hear about that time period. Maybe that'd be ample time for everyone to forget about recent events so that I didn't have to give them anything.

"Be the way," he continued before pulling out his cellular device. "I don't know if anyone's told you, but I think you're trending."

"No..."

"Here," He pulled up a video and handed me his phone. "See for yourself."

As I held the device with both gauntlets, I saw a ZNN news station with a female snow leopard as a news anchor with a headline that read as:

MYSTERIOUS ANIMAL SPOTTED IN SAVANNA CENTRAL

To the left of her, there was a surveillance image of someone I was quite familiar with but couldn't quite put my finger on it. 

The white armored figure with a brown cloak had a bright red circle around him in case anyone had a hard time spotting him. _How helpful._

Completely fed up, I turned off the phone and handed it back to Officer Grizzoli."That's enough news for today."

He turned his phone back on and continued to watch the live feed. "So what do you think? Are you sure you're not--"

"--Complete mystery," I remarked. "Probably just another monolith."

He gave me a confused look and then shrugged before putting his phone away. "Just thought I'd show you because I think it's pretty crazy."

"Let's call it a day," I insisted.

"Alright," he nodded. "Good talk,"

I gave him a simple salute as he stood up from his chair.

"See you around," he waved.

He turned to face the exit and I wanted to say something important but I forgot what it was. I tried to remember but it slipped my mind.

However, as he pulled the door open, something else came to mind. 

"Grizzoli," I called.

His tail perked up and he turned around. "Yeah, Cherry?"

I stood up from my spot and looked him in the eyes. "Happy late birthday."

"Thanks!" he smiled.

He slipped outside. But before the door could close behind him, a massive grey arm obstructed it. Another rhino?

_Worse._

I quickly found out that it was the Grand Chief of Police himself. He gave a stern glare and pointed right at me. _"You._ My office. _Now."_

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...Okay."


	33. Indemnification

After climbing what felt like more than seven flights of stairs, we were on the top floor of the Zootopian Police Department. From the balcony, I could see that the animal repair crew - mostly consisting of koalas and raccoons - had nearly patched up the last remaining phaser marks I left in the ceiling. With just a few more brushstrokes of paint, the lobby would be as good as new.

But the Chief didn't drag us all the way up here just to smell the fresh coat of paint.

Rather, we followed the oversized buffalo into his medium-sized office that had windows on both sides of the ornate wooden desk, a dim lamp in the corner, polished award plaques, and an oversized ZPD badge mounted on the wall behind him.

Now I felt like it was a trip to the principal's office.

Judy and Nick sat in the same chair like stuffed animals on display at a Build-a-Bear Workshop whereas I sat in mine like a Black Ops 'sitting bull' soldier but without the Mustang and Sally pistols.

The stocky chief of police sat behind his desk and gave me a long intense glare. I couldn't really blame him. He had a bandaid at the base of his muzzle between his eyes - most likely from when I chucked an empty tranquilizer pistol at his head - and I'm sure he wasn't too fond of it. No, not one bit.

While we all sat there and didn't speak a single word, we spent the next few minutes listening to the live Zootopian News Network from one of the rolling TV stands.

 _"In recent news,"_ the moose anchor began, _"Dozens of mammals have born witness to the sight of what appears to be a mysterious-looking animal that was spotted just yesterday in the late afternoon throughout Savanna Central."_

_"That's right, Peter,"_ the female snow leopard spoke. _"Reports indicate that the mystery animal first came out of Central Station before it began_ _roaming the streets. At this time, very little is known but some have described it as wearing all white and standing as tall as a tiger."_

The news report transitioned to witness testimonies and the first was a beaver. _"It just ran past me like a stampede of wildebeests and I've never beheld anything like it,"_

 _"The weirdest thing I had ever seen!"_ a honey badger commented. 

_"I ain't gonna lie, it kinda freaked us out,"_ a thylacine nervously chuckled.

Wait a minute...

The news immediately switched to an aerial street view. _"Surveillance footage also reveals that the mysterious animal was hit by a semi-truck heading eastbound along Acacia Street. We're looking here at the exact spot where the incident occurred."_

The camera panned around a large totaled truck with glass shards and scrap metal scattered all over the asphalt pavement. The female antelope reporter attentively weaved her way through the traffic cones and pointed out the mess I made. Never did I imagine it being that bad on camera.

 _"Despite all the debris you see around me,_ _the animal miraculously survived the impact."_ she presented. _"Local witnesses say he ran north. However, there was another witness who also happened to be present in the middle of all the commotion."_

A skunk news reporter held up a microphone to a sheep nurse. _"Ma'am, can you describe your experience? How do you make sense of it?"_

 _"I...I didn't know what he was exactly... but he saved me,"_ she stammered. _"He ran off before I could say anything..."_

I remembered her. She's the same one the tiger pushed onto the street as he attempted to escape. The newsfeed then switched to a tall apartment building with a long streak of damaged bricks and a warped rain gutter.

 _"Look at my house!"_ A female kangaroo fussed. _"He destroyed my lovely garden and damaged our entire art wall!"_

 _"It almost stepped on my family!"_ a rodent squeaked. _"We saw its shadow and felt like we were being hunted! What's up with that?"_

 _"Dear me..."_ a red panda whined with an accent. _"...whatever that thing is, it don't belong in my neighborhood."_

As we continued watching the news unfold all the events from yesterday, I heard a loud crunching sound to my left. I turned and saw Nick eating from a bag filled with... _popcorn?_ He seemed to be enjoying the moment. Judy gestured to him to put it away and he shrugged before he finally obeyed.

The channel presented further testimonials - most of which admittedly absurd and exaggerated - so I stared down at the floor with the intent of forgetting it ever happened. It was all too much attention for a human in one day. Luckily, they only had access to blurry images but they were definitely trending. 

The camera switched back to the leopard anchor. _"Whoever this strange animal is, the last reported sighting happened to be directly in front of ---"_

The Chief switched off the television before we heard her finish. He tossed aside the remote, exhaled in frustration, and stared me down with his massive arms were folded. 

"In other words, you were defacing public property, recklessly endangering rodent traffic, disturbing the mammalian peace, and later found resisting _multiple_ attempts of arrest!" he huffed.

My head hung low and I kept quiet. No sudden movements were made, lest the Chief would sentence me to a pit of charging rhinos.

"But, to be fair," he continued before plopping a bag containing a familiar-looking object onto his desk. "You did stop a tiger criminal from stealing an antique necklace."

We all looked at the fine piece of jewelry and it sparkled with the sunlight pouring through the windows behind the chief's desk. Its value was undetermined but I could tell it was expensive. Part of me felt proud but the chief didn't seem mutual about it.

"Boy, that's a one-of-a-kind, Chief, let me tell you," the fox appraised. "In my former con days, I read about them and I gotta say, those zainite gems are worth more than my year's salary. You can definitely thank Mr. Chairbear for-- "

"--Shut your big mouth _now!"_ the buffalo annoyingly put the bag away. "I don't share your giddy optimism, Wilde, and I don't give an elephant's behind about what type of gem it is."

Of course, Nick _would_ know what type of gem it is. _Zainite_ , did he say? I'm pretty sure we called it _painite_ in my world. His shifty nature got me into all this trouble but now he seemingly tried to get me out of it. _How typical._ But the chief wasn't having it and he continued to give us an unimpressed glare.

Judy boldly stood up in her chair. "Sir, if I may, he also saved that sheep nurse from being hit by a semi-truck."

The chief leaned forward and angrily pointed at me. _"He_ assaulted over _twenty_ officers, disobeyed ZPD interrogation protocol, and intentionally discharged an _unregistered weapon_ in the lobby!" he snarled. "And Officer Hopps, let's not forget that Mr. Cheribim threatened your partner _twice!"_

She lifted her paws in protest. "But sir, he's--"

"--He's a _threat_ to my department and he's a threat to _all of Zootopia!"_ the Chief furiously grunted. "No matter how hard you try to justify, I don't trust him any further than I can throw him!"

"Well, with your bad knee, Chief, you shouldn't be throwing anybody," Nick remarked.

We all looked at the fox and Judy facepalmed.

"It's true," he shrugged. "And let's face it, Chief. You never trusted a fox now, did you? And yet, seven months later, I became part of the pack. What are the odds? Like a fox, you see our marble-headed friend here as shifty and _untrustworthy_ , but you might as well give him a chance."

The buffalo let out an irritated sigh. "Officer Wilde, we're talking about an _alien_ here."

"Sir, with all due respect, he's a refugee," Judy corrected. "Not an alien." 

"I don't care what you think he is!" the chief slammed. "The last thing I need is an erratic space creature on the loose that's jeopardized my ability to effectively maintain the peace of this precinct. Now, City Hall has been right up my tail for the last twenty-four hours, importuning for answers, getting the ZIA involved, and we're still unaware of what the devil we're dealing with."

He rummaged through all the excessive paperwork on his desk - pertinent images and legal documents - which must've been overwhelming for any mammal in charge.

 _"And you..."_ he harshly pointed at me while trying to look me in the eyes. "I could lock _you up_ indefinitely and I would not lose any ounce of sleep over it. That, or I could send you to our science team for research."

I didn't know what to say. But before I had the chance to protest, the bunny took a step forward.

"Sir, I have no doubt in my mind that Cherry acted irresponsibly and that he must serve his time in accordance with the law." she focused on Chief Bogo then turned to face me while continuing to talk to him. "But he's the last of his species. Despite all the trouble he's caused, I've seen the good in him and I know we can help him become something better."

The buffalo gave me a suspicious glare before returning back to the bunny. "How can you be so sure?"

I too shared his doubts.

But Judy smiled confidently. "Because... in Zootopia, _anyone_ can be anything."

The room fell silent for the next few seconds and seemed to grow a tad brighter. A warm feeling nearly swept over me until Nick ruined it with his obnoxiously loud cough.

Meanwhile, Chief Bogo let out a low groan in protest but didn't say anything back. He sighed begrudgingly and we all waited for a response.

"Alright, Hopps. I will let Mr. Cheribim here serve his standard sentence. And that's for three months... _three_ months!" the buffalo reiterated as he held out three fingers. Good thing he didn't have more. _"But!_ If he gets out of line again, then, as acting Chief of Police and for the safety of Zootopia, I will _not_ hesitate to transfer him over to the ZBI."

After he said that, he stood up from his desk and folded his brawny arms. His figure blocked the sunlight and cast a minotaur-shaped shadow over me. I took him seriously and respected his authority but he obviously couldn't read that from my face.

"Now... Do I make myself _clear?"_ he asked.

With the handcuff chains rattling, I also stood up from my chair and stared back at the chief. My eye level was about where his neck was so he had the height advantage. However, I wouldn't let that stop me.

"Clear as daylight," I answered.

"Splendid," he gave a half-faked smile and gestured to the door. "Hopps, Wilde, take him to cell A113. I will dial extra backup to assist you with the escort." The chief then pressed a button on the desk intercom which made a single beep sound. "Clawhauser?" he spoke into the device.

_"Oh, uh, yes Chief?"_

"Send them up."

There was no response. All we heard was music from a female pop singer.

"Clawhauser?"

_"No, I won't give in till I reach the end. And then I'll start again"_

"Clawhauser!"

_"No, I won't leave. I want to try everything. I want to try even though I could fail"_

The buffalo grew impatient and firmly pressed the button again. "CLAWHAUSER!"

We could hear the microphone fumbling and heavy breathing from the cheetah _. "Oh! sorry, sir! Wrong button, sir!"_ he said awkwardly. _"I'm, uh, still getting the hang of the new phones. Sending them up now!"_

The buffalo groaned and sighed. Judy and Nick tried to hide their laughter which caused their faces to puff up. Meanwhile, I took note of the large city map on the left wall and admired all the details. It had a full index, color-coded boundaries, road longitudinal lines, and a compass. Being in a new world such as Zootopia, I felt desirous to study a new map because I ought to know at least what direction North was.

Three minutes later, a familiar team of officers showed up at Bogo's office. They were Fangmeyer, McHorn, and Delgato. I greeted them with an upward head nod and they did the same, albeit in a more professionally subtle manner. With my hands cuffed behind my back, they turned me around and guided me to the door.

"I want him in full restraints for the next seventy-hours," the chief directed as he held open the door for us. " _Triple_ check if you have to. I don't want to see _a single_ loose chain."

Judy held out her arms in doubt. "But sir, he's not going to--"

"--It's fine," I insisted. "Put them on."

"That's more like it," the chief nodded in agreement. "Now, get him out of here."

"While we're at it, do you want us to dangle him upside down, sir?" Nick joked.

Chief Bogo rolled his eyes. "Be my guest, Wilde. As much as I want, City Hall would never approve."

The next thing I knew, we made our way across the ZPD station and everything felt different during daylight hours. I was previously escorted by unfamiliar and unnamed ZIA animals during the night; but now, I was being escorted by familiar ZPD officers. A lion, a tiger, a rhino, a fox, and a bunny. Little did these animals know that they were escorting a creature that pertained to a species responsible for the extinction of their species back in my world.

With that in mind, It was no surprise that they placed a fresh set of restraints upon me. But it wasn't due to hard feelings. Rather, they were just following orders and I cooperated the best I could. 

They locked my arms across the chest, tied my fingers together, and tightened the straitjacket in hopes that I'd be properly contained. Finally, the larger animals wrapped heavy chains around me while the fox and bunny wrapped around the smaller ones.

"A bit excessive, but, oh well. It wasn't my idea..." the fox remarked, clicking one of the last chain locks together. "At least we're getting paid for this."

"You saw what happened, Wilde," the tiger reminded. He checked around me to ensure everything was secure. "Let's just hope it doesn't happen again."

"We'll be ready if he does," Delgato added.

"It _won't_ happen again," Judy firmly stated as she tightly yanked one of the straitjacket cords to tighten it. 

All the officers stopped what they were doing and looked at the bunny. They trusted her and hoped she was right because the last forty-eight hours were quite troubling for those involved. Physically for those who fought me and mentally for those who had to handle the politics.

The rabbit then stood atop the metal table next to my chair - the same level as my head - and looked me directly in the eyes. Even with my helmet, she knew where my eyes were.

Now she became stern. " _Right, Cheribim?"_

With hesitation, I gazed back into her vibrant purple eyes and felt ashamed for letting her down. But she was willing to give me a second chance. "Right," I uttered.

We all shared a peaceful moment of silence - wrapping up the rest of the chains - until it was interrupted by a static voice.

 _"Dispatch to McHorn. Do you read?"_ a male voice called out.

The rhino pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Officer McHorn speaking."

_"You better get down here."_

"Copy that. On my way."

"What's going on?" the fox wondered. 

"It's the protests," McHorn sighed. "They must've heard the noise yesterday."

"They're _still_ out there?" Judy sounded surprised.

The rhino nodded. "It's getting messy."

Judy looked to both Delgato and Fangmeyer. "You two better go with him," she suggested.

Fangmeyer began to follow McHorn but Delgato stopped. "Are you sure you'll be okay with him?" he questioned. "You know the danger he poses."

"We'll be fine. He's not going anywhere," the bunny displayed confidence larger than her size.

"That's right," the fox said. "We'll take Mr. Chair and get him settled."

The lion didn't question their judgment. "Very well. We'll be on the radio if you need anything."

"You be careful out there," Nick advised. "Don't get caught up in a stampede."

"You especially," he cautioned back.

The officers nodded and filed their way out of the room. Now it was just me with the fox and the bunny.

But I couldn't believe what I just heard. Were there really protests going on? Too bad I couldn't have selected a different world to crash on. A world without politics is desirable but a world without talkative and observant animals would've been a better start. But a world without the internet - and the power to spread rumors as fast as a wildfire - would've been most ideal. 

Now I had to deal with protesting animals...

Judy and Nick placed me in a larger cell across from the original one they previously placed me in. The layout was generally the same but more spacious. It even had a window, albeit, with bars.

Judy held the cell door open. "Well, It's not much... but it's the best we could do."

I stepped inside to take it all in. "Is it A113?"

She shook her head. "Actually, it's A107."

Indeed, it was better than I had imagined but I didn't understand. "Why here?"

"We figured you'd enjoy having a bigger cell," Nick explained. "Plenty of room to roam around and play in. You're welcome."

I tried to facepalm but my arms were locked up. Due to the hefty chains upon my shoulders, I sat down on the nearby bench against the wall to get comfortable. The fox and bunny decided to join in. The bunny humorously struggled to get on the bench - which she eventually managed - whereas the fox had an easier time. Unlike animals from my world, they never seemed to leave my side. They've already seen a snippet of the danger I brought but that didn't scare them off.

"You doing alright?" Judy asked, noticing I was in deep thought.

I slowly turned to Judy. "I'm fine," I quietly replied

She placed a paw on one of the stainless steel chains. "I know the last few days have been rough... and the next few will probably be rough as well," she said while taking a brief moment to ponder. "But things will work out."

Her optimism was appreciated and I nodded while hoping she was right. Nonetheless, my mind continued to wander on about future events.

Nick tilted his head. "What are you thinking about?

"The protests," I answered. 

"Don't worry about them," Judy assured. "They're only protesting because they want answers."

"Are you going to tell them?"

"Yes," she said. "But not everything. Only what they need to know."

"Like what?"

"Leave that to us," she calmly insisted. "Chief, Nick, and I will take care of it. We've got a plan."

"That's right, buddy," the fox patted my shoulder. "Just stay here, relax, let us do the talking, and they'll soon realize there's nothing to worry about."

I was beginning to wonder what this so-called 'plan' of theirs was. What exactly would they tell their fellow animals? Many have already seen me so it was a matter of filling in the gaps. Those in the Zootopian government were already made aware but now it was time for the public to get their answer. As keepers of the peace and upholders of the law, these two officers would have to come up with some kind of plausible explanation that'd calm them down. Honestly, I had my doubts and felt that it was much to ask from a bunny and a fox even though Zootopia was full of surprises.

"And we'll come to visit you," the bunny added.

"Every day if you'd like," the fox suggested. "We're always here."

I was taken aback by their unexpectedly kind gesture. "Once a week is plenty,"

"Are you sure? Nick and I will make time."

Nick pulled out his phone to check the calendar. "As long as it's not during our lunch break or my gym time, I'm all for it."

Judy rolled her eyes. "You don't even go to the gym."

"I'm working on it, Carrots," the fox flexed his arm. "You feel that?"

With a cheeky smile, she punched his arm. "Like jello."

He flinched in minor pain. "Whoa, Easy, Carrots."

"Wuss!" she teased.

"It's still sore from yesterday."

"You've got jobs to do," I said, not wanting to be a burden. "Don't let me distract you."

"Keeping an eye on you is our job," the fox proudly declared. "You can't get rid of us that easily."

"He's right," the bunny agreed. "And I made you a promise, remember?"

Even after what I've done to her fellow officers, _Judy remained willing to help me out?_ She's the one that has seen the worst of me, and yet, she still believed in better things to come. Truly remarkable that such a little bunny would still have faith in me.

"Why are you doing this?" I still wondered. After all, humans never treated animals fairly.

But she simply smiled, rested a tiny paw on my shoulder, and said, "Because our job is to serve and protect everyone. That includes you."

I was without words. In my world, it was every man for himself. Even though we were all part of the same species, we had no desire whatsoever to help one another. Much less with someone who wasn't human. But these two animals - both of different species - would go out of their way to help me. And for a human? Why would they bother? Truly, they were something special.

For once, it was nice to be captured by creatures that didn't try to kill or torture you. They could've done that for my harsh actions but they didn't. Had it been my world, the Stratocracy would not hesitate to inflict corporal punishment upon its victims. But Zootopia was entirely different and I had never felt so relieved.

"Hey, Chairbear, you still with us?" Nick motioned his paw in front of my face. "You're going into deep thought again, aren't you?"

"He tends to do that." Judy laughed. "Must be getting tired of us."

I shook my head. "Not at all."

"Well, it's kinda hard to read your face with all the gadget and gizmo," the fox pointed. "I don't know how you do it, Carrots."

"Trust me, it's not easy," Judy jokingly admitted. "But I'm usually pretty good at guessing."

"All I can say is it'd be much easier _without_ the helmet," the fox shrugged. "Just throwing that out there."

"Ha, nice try slick! But I don't think you've earned that honor in Cherry's eyes."

"Why not?" he smirked. "I'm your partner and I believe the honor is transferrable."

"She's right," I said. "The answer's no."

"We'll see about that," he jested as he rubbed his paw across the top of my head. "If you're stuck in Zootopia, then it's bound to come off eventually. And I'll be ready."

I tried to brush his arm away but my arms were locked up. The helmet would _always_ stay on in public. No exceptions. I couldn't let them see my human face. Much less the fox.

Just then, we heard the cracking of a radio. _"Dispatch to Wilde. Do you read?"_

The fox stopped what he was doing and gripped his radio. "Wilde to Dispatch. What have we got?"

" _We need your assistance outside. And please bring Officer Hopps with you."_

"Copy that. We're on our way," he finished as he clicked his radio and placed it back onto his belt. "Welp, Carrots, time to work for a living."

Judy stood up on the bench. "We'd better get going then," and she hopped off.

"Nice chatting with you, Mr. Chair," the fox saluted. "Or do you prefer Mr. Bench?"

My head reclined in annoyance. "Cherry's fine."

"I actually prefer Blueberries but we'll go with that," he smiled as he pulled out a random blueberry and admired it before plopping it into his mouth. "Even though it matches your eyes."

"Alright, slick, let's leave him alone," Judy playfully pulled him along by his police uniform tie. "We've got a job to do."

"Hey, I'm coming, I'm coming," Nick nearly fell over. "Easy on the neck, fluff."

The bunny-fox duo left the cell and closed the door behind them. With the keys in her paw, Judy climbed up the bars to lock the gate.

"We'll check back on you soon, Cherry!" she waved from behind the bars. "And please... ... _promise_ me you won't do anything stupid."

I gave her a single nod and she returned a thumbs-up gesture. They both disappeared behind the concrete wall until the fox popped his head back to see me.

"Remember, It's only for three months!" Nick reminded, giving a wink. "Hang in there!"

For him, I gave an indifferent stare until Judy pulled him by the necktie again. This caused him to jolt forward and disappear behind the concrete wall. About time he left.

Now I was alone. The metallic cellblock door closed behind the animal officers, echoed across the hard floor, and silence took over. Three more months of prison in the same old block. _Great._

But at least my personal cell was larger than the previous one. It was situated across the hallway so I stared at the wall where I sat originally. Same position, same posture, but beefier chains and no chains strapped to my legs. That meant that I could run in here if I wanted.

I stood up to stretch my legs, jogged in place for a couple of minutes, and ran back and forth within my cell. The chains jingled and jangled like reindeer on Christmas but I was no reindeer. Instead, I was a lunatic soldier that was chained up for a reason.

"Do you need to use the bathroom or something?" a random voice asked.

Immediately, I stopped what I was doing, felt awkward, and turned around. It was a male cougar officer with tan fur, cream muzzle, dark ear tips, and brown eyes. I had seen him before so luckily he wasn't one of the animals I punched in the lobby.

He mysteriously looked me over, squinted, and tried to get a grasp of what I was. "Or are you trying to get out of those chains?"

"No, officer. Just stretching." I replied.

With the police baton firmly gripped in his paws, he lightly tapped at his palm a few times and carefully returned to his seat. He had a simple desk arrangement in the far left corner of the room where he could see me clearly. He exhaled and pulled out a book to read while carefully glancing up at me once in a while to make sure I wasn't doing anything disorderly.

With no more desire to run around my cell space, I decided to lay down flat on the floor - face up - and pass the time with a peaceful nap. My position felt somewhat comfortable but I realized that the overhead caged light blinded my eyes, making it harder to relax.

Just then, I remembered there was a bench attached to the wall. Thus, I could use that to place my head under and block out the above light. I tried to stand up but I couldn't. My arms were tied down together in the straitjacket. _Great._

Instead, I used my legs to slide across the floor. With the chains being unevenly distributed and having different sizes around my torso, it was much more cumbersome to move properly. 

The cougar warden slowly lowered his book and raised both eyebrows in confusion as I gradually slid my armored body towards the wall so that my head was beneath the bench. After the tedious effort, I finally got into position, and the bench was directly above my head. Now I could relax.

But before I could close my eyes, the warden tapped the bars of the cell to get my attention.

I lifted my head. "What is it?"

He pointed with his baton. "The bench folds out into a bed, you know."

I reclined my head back and sighed. "Thanks..."

The warden was kind enough to deploy the bed for me. However, it took him a while because he felt more comfortable calling in two hippo prison guards to watch over me while he entered the cell to fold down the bed. Turns out, it was behind a metallic compartment within the wall that folded out and over the bench for support.

Later, a young female horse brought in a single blue blanket and white pillow even though the blanket wasn't necessary. My suit kept me at an optimal temperature so I used the blanket as an extra pillow. Despite it being thin for my broad shoulders, It was nice to have an actual bed instead of sleeping in a chair.

After a couple of hours, the light outside began to dim and it was almost evening. A female kangaroo brought in a food tray that actually had a decent enough scent to trigger the taste buds. Good thing it wasn't steak because we all know that non-tree-hugging traitors don't deserve steak. Back in my world, humans ate it all up until it was forever gone and had to be made artificial.

Instead, the food tray consisted of corn, green beans, a slice of bread, potatoes, and a cup of water. Without my arms being free, I had no way to eat it. The female kangaroo was kind enough to offer a spoon feed but I decided to refuse. She insisted to help me - making promises that there was nothing to be ashamed about - but I kindly rejected her offer. I told her that I'd fast for the next couple of hours until the straitjacket came off. She understood but begged that I at least drank some water. Thus, I did as she recommended and she, of course, gave a puzzled reaction as the water filtered through the nano barrier of my helmet. She asked about my biology but I shook my head and didn't answer.

The evening became night and the lights were out. Well, almost out. They left on enough light for prisoner visibility even though my white armor was easy enough to spot in the dark.

The next day, I slept through most of it. I felt hungry but refused to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner until the restraints came off. It was one thing for a human to feed an animal but it was an entirely different thing to have an animal feed a human. I just couldn't allow that to happen. However, I did drink enough water to stay hydrated even though a kangaroo giving a human some water felt almost as strange.

For the first time in a while, I used the restroom. One of the few times I could leave the cell space even though the restroom was only a couple of yards away. As usual, they called multiple animal guards to ensure I didn't try to escape. Instead of one toilet size, there were multiple different toilet sizes. I almost stepped on one and I thought it was a toy until I realized that it was _actually built for a mouse._ And yes, they had two more toilet sizes that were larger than the one I thought was built for a human. In my head, I could hear the famous elf praising how big they were.

Back in my cell again, I decided to do some exercises to pass the time. I jogged here and there, did some squats, and added some leg lunges. With my arms tied up, it all felt a bit awkward but I kept going because staying in shape was important to me. The cougar warden didn't say anything because he already knew that I used the restroom.

Two days later, and after a few brief visits from Judy and Nick after they kept getting called back to work, there was a team of jackal guards who came into the cell block. The same ones who originally escorted me to the interrogation room a few days earlier.

While five of them were posted outside my cell, three of them came inside and the middle one - a golden jackal - had a set of keys on a keyring that jingled with joy. It was time for my restraints to come off. We were finally passed the 72 hours. That is, we passed the three-day mark in jail even though I still had three months to go.

Taking their precious time and being as cautious as possible, the golden jackal unlocked the chains one by one while the other jackals assisted with the other restraints. I could tell they were slightly nervous even though they tried to hide it.

The chains dropped everywhere on the floor, the straitjacket became looser, and I was now free. Rather, I was free within my confined cell.

The jackals then gathered up the heavy chains and folded the other restraints. I rubbed my sore wrists, sighed in relief, and gave them a grateful head nod. They slowly backed away with a worried look in their eyes but they soon realized that I meant no harm. 

One of them, being a bit curious, was about to ask me a question until his director called him back into formation and left the cellblock. Whatever he wanted to ask, it would have to wait for three months.

Judy and Nick continued to visit me here and there as the next few days went by. They came more often than they should so I advised them to come less frequently because I knew that they had other things to worry about. I asked about the protests and they informed me that they were starting to calm down. In fact, the Zootopians began to grow curious while others remained scared for who I was.

They kept asking what kind of animal I was, they responded that I was a polar animal, but they wanted something more specific than that. In other words, we had to give them a name as long as it wasn't human. It had to be something familiar but believable.

As a minor joke, I suggested the term 'Polargeist' to describe me but Judy wasn't too fond of the idea. Next, I suggested 'Nanoberg' as a play on words between 'Iceberg' and 'Nano' since my suit was made up of nanoparticles. Again, that idea didn't last long.

Judy suggested the accurate term 'Human' to describe me but I didn't feel comfortable with it. The public demanded a species identification and we had to give them one. Time was running out so we all took a moment to brainstorm. 

With nothing else coming to mind, Nick threw up his paws and whined that we were taking forever to come up with a name.

"Why not just call him Polar Man?" Nick lightheartedly suggested. "If he's 'Hue- _man'_ but wants to be this weird _'Polar_ -geist' thing, then I believe we have ourselves a compromise."

I shook my head and deeply sighed. "No offense, Wilde, but that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Of course, I continued to bash his idea and shoot it down. However, to my great and utter surprise, Judy Hopps thought the name was perfect. She even called him a _clever_ fox for that.

The rabbit jotted down the name with her carrot pen and closed the booklet. "Good! It's settled then."

She and Wilde happily skipped their way towards the door but I had to stop them. Nevertheless, they were already committed. They informed me that the term 'Polar Man' would only be used for the public whereas the term 'Human' would only be between us and the ZPD since most officers at the ZPD already knew I was a human. We couldn't lie to the public so there had to be some hint of truth in the wording. 

"But what about _Polargeist_?" I wondered. After all, it was a name I didn't want to leave out. Perhaps it could've been something to adopt later.

But Judy shook her head and smirked. "No offense, Cherry, but that's the dumbest thing my bunny ears have ever heard."

Upon hearing this, my posture dropped. The fox gave me a mocking shrug and followed the bunny out. I guess a species couldn't pick its own name after all. _So much for that._

No matter, I had to embrace disappointment and trust that the fox-bunny duo would do their part to appease the public. They wanted answers so they had to give them something. But only on an as-requested basis and not so much as a broadcasted basis.

Three days later, the three hyenas were temporarily transferred into my same cell block. At initially felt annoyed with their presence but they invited me to play a game of cards with them so I accepted. The rules in Zootopia were quite different, the cards themselves had portraits of animals instead of humans, and instead of a card with a diamond or clover pattern, it was a card with a hoof or paw pattern. 

The hyenas, as one would expect, made fun of me for losing the first few games but I kept my cool. Things changed when another prisoner decided to join in. A cheetah, in fact. He was in his early twenties and got caught trying to steal a sports car from a sloth. Once he got the hang of the game, he won almost every single time and the hyenas jokingly accused him of being a cheater, or 'cheatah' as they'd say.

The next day, all of them were transferred out and released from prison. Part of me felt thankful since they were annoying as hell, but another part of me enjoyed their company. Thus, they served their sentence time but I still had a ways to go.

One week later, I was doing some pullups on one of the ceiling bars. My goal was to hit thirty by the end of the weekend but I struggled to get past twenty-seven on every set. Next, I did some pushups on different spots along the cell floor. My goal was to hit seventy by the end of the day but I had a hard time getting over fifty-seven.

Suddenly, a group of animals in white lab coats - accompanied by two ram security guards - entered the hallway. One was a female honey badger, a male armadillo, and a female arctic fox. 

They stared in wonder while I continued to do my pullups. I was already in the middle of my fifth set and didn't want them to disturb me. In other words, I didn't want them to throw off my groove. 

Doing exercises while everyone stared at you was never fun so I stopped what I was doing and approached the bars. The female fox quickly scribbled down a few notes on her tablet whereas the armadillo was more traditional and used a pencil and clipboard to note down his initial observations of me. As for the honey badger, she was carrying a medical bag.

_I didn't like where this was going._

I waited for them to speak but I couldn't tell if they were nervous or if they were only here to stare me down.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Mr. Cheribim, it is a privilege to finally meet you. I am Dr. Madge," the honey badger presented. "And this is Dr. Armadillo, my colleague, and Bianca Raposa, my assistant."

The female arctic fox gave a warm smile and extended her paw through the bars. The armadillo did the same. However, I simply stood there and massaged my gauntlets due to the number of pullups I did earlier. I just didn't feel like shaking paws so I gave them a blank look. This caused them to slowly retract their arms.

"We come from the Zootopia Medical Center and I'm the head administrator for the Mammalia Species Research Institute." the badger explained. "We are here because we have taken great interest in your unexpected arrival and we wish to conduct a series of simple tests to ensure the overall wellbeing of both you the general public."

I folded my arms. "What kind of tests?"

"They will be simple physical examinations and pathological tests. All of them essential to reassure that you aren't carrying any diseases that could potentially be passed on from one mammal to another," she explained. "This same information will also assist us in the event that you sustain an injury or an illness so that we can determine the most appropriate course of treatment for you."

 _I definitely didn't like where this was going._ Now I wish they hadn't come but I told myself that I had to cooperate to avoid trouble. With that in mind, I walked over to the bench, sat down, and held onto the sides. "Let's get this over with."

"Excellent," Dr. Madge smiled while the rest of the animals in labcoats eagerly prepared their tools. "We promise this won't take long,"

The cougar warden opened the door for them and the cell was now filled with over seven animals. _Too much for my liking._

The medical representatives set up camp, sanitized the area around me, placed a few layers of clean cloth, and put me into position.

From the briefcase, everything such as stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, gauze, lubricant, tuning forks, otoscopes, and a few other tools were placed on or around the metallic medical tray. We went through the basic physical tests, they did their best without having me feel violated, but there was only so much that they could do. Of course, they didn't forget to bring out the syringes.

"Alright, Mr. Cheribim," the arctic fox took a deep breath. "We'll need to take a blood sample."

"Good luck with that," I said with honesty.

The white fox's face filled with confusion, she looked to Dr. Madge, but she gestured her to proceed and prepped my arm. Carefully using her paw, she cleaned the area around my forearm and positioned the needle. She tried to feel around the area for a vein but couldn't find one so she decided to take a guess.

Shaking her hesitations away, she built up enough confidence and pushed the needle into my forearm. To their surprise, the tip of the needle completely broke. They tried another one but it got warped. The lab-coated animals had no idea what just happened and were completely baffled.

The arctic fox's ear twitched and she tilted her head. "Um... Dr. Madge?"

"I... I don't understand," the male armadillo put on tiny glasses to get a better visual.

"Your anatomy is entirely different, unlike anything I've ever seen," the badger commented, as she took time to palpate the surface of my armor. "But it looks like... some rare case of scleroderma," she checked further and her eyes widened. "Wait, is this... _an exoskeleton?"_

"Could be," I said casually.

The honey badger looked to her assistants and then at me. I could tell they were desirous to collect extraterrestrial samples but my armor halted their efforts and led them to disappointment. 

"Mr. Cheribim, I'm afraid we cannot draw a blood sample from you at this time. Not with the limited tools that we have." the honey badger acknowledged. "Whichever condition you may have, it would disqualify you until we gather ample data to determine your eligibility criteria. It could take time."

Upon hearing this, a part of me rejoiced. I never liked being examined by doctors, no matter how nice they were. Humans were one thing but animals were an entirely different vector. But another part of me knew that these animals wouldn't give up. As long as I was on Zootopia, we'd have some sort of inevitable follow-up appointment. I had plans to leave Zootopia - hopefully sometime in the future - but these doctors would most certainly get to me before I ever reached that capability. Thus, I decided, _let's get this over with._

"Maybe try again?" I suggested.

The armadillo's head lifted. "I beg your pardon?"

"Try again,"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Cheribim," the badger approached. "Our tools are just not compatible with your anatomy." she held up the broken syringes to make a point. "Given you're classified as an endangered species, we must seek out more sophisticated measures of obtaining a sample. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation but your bloodwork will have to wait until we come better prepared."

"How many syringes remain?" I asked.

The badger, the armadillo, and I looked to the arctic fox. "One," she said. "We just have one more."

"Give it a shot," I encouraged. "I'll guide you."

Their faces filled with slight hope and the arctic fox prepped the final syringe. As before, she sanitized the upper part of my forearm but had no idea where to place the needle to avoid breaking it again. I directed her to place the tip between the armor plates because the armor was thinnest there.

Unknown to them, I manipulated the nanoparticles to expose the skin but kept it hidden from view. This injection tactic was similar to the one used against me in the lobby when the bunny shot a tranquilizer dart between the armor plating of my fingers.

After a few seconds of uncertainty, the arctic fox looked to me for approval and then at Dr. Madge. We both nodded.

Thus, she carefully pushed the needle into my forearm and I gave a slight flinch. We were in business now. The vial began to steadily fill with the crimson red fluid they've all been waiting for.

"Success!" Dr. Madge smiled. 

"It actually worked," Dr. Armadillo couldn't believe his eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Cheribim," the arctic fox finished cleaning the area around my forearm and placed an adhesive bandage atop my armor plating. It wasn't necessary but I kept it on.

However, I tried to seal the needle puncture site but the nanoparticles didn't obey for some reason. _Strange_. Maybe my suit was getting old, as I feared. Now I was stuck with a small opening in the forearm plating and I could feel a slight air breeze pass through it. Luckily, it wasn't too noticeable and gave me another reason to keep the bandage on.

They sealed off the red-filled vial, placed it into their medical case, and packed up their belongings. They got what they wanted.

"Be sure to drink plenty of water," the honey badger recommended, as she passed me a complimentary bottle. "We can't thank you enough for your full assistance and cooperation."

I popped open the bottle and held it in place. "No problem."

"We'll run some tests and update you on the results. I'm certain there'll be nothing to worry about." the armadillo said while picking up his stethoscope. "Until then, we wish you a good day, Mr. Cheribim."

"Yes, thank you," the female arctic fox nodded.

One by one, the doctors extended their paws, I shook them and they filed their way out of the prison cell. The ram guards closed the doors behind them and passed the keys to the cougar warden. Now the entire prison block fell silent again.

_Little did I know, things would stay silent for quite a while._

Two hours turned to two days, and two days turned to two weeks. _Now, it was official. I've been locked up inside a Zootopian prison longer than I've been outside of it._ The monotony and boredom began to take over, and, combined with silence, things were starting to get mentally rough. 

The pushups, pullups, and situps helped to a certain extent but my mind begged for a mental exercise. My arms were massive enough but my head lacked an inflow of ideas. Thinking about my previous world pained me greatly so I had to turn to something else.

Luckily, the rabbit-fox duo kept their promise to visit me frequently even though I advised them to come less often. Though their visits were frequent, they were cut short by radio calls and they were quick to tend to those. I asked them for a status update on the protests and I learned that they were still occurring but the tensions seemed to die down. The general public knew that a mysterious animal was being locked up for investigation and it wasn't known to them when I'd be released. Thus, they continued on with their daily lives and but put the whole situation on a hiatus until the time came for me to be released. Who knows how that would go. Would the public buy into the 'Polar Man' B.S.? I didn't think they would but, then again, my idea of being called the 'Polargeist' wouldn't be any more helpful.

Besides the protests, the fox and the bunny did other things that I didn't expect. Judy brought in delicious blueberries from her family's farm and managed to sneak enough inside the prison block before Nick ate most of them. Turns out, he enjoyed the blueberries as much as I did and he struggled to leave enough for me. If I got lucky, then I'd be able to consume between seventeen or twenty-seven of them even though the basket could hold up to 100 blueberries. I wasn't sure why I enjoyed them so much but all I could say is that they were three times better than any genetically produced berry in my homeworld. The Zootopian blueberries were easy to eat, they easily filtered through the helmet nano barrier every time, and they boosted my mood.

Judy was a good friend and I felt grateful for her to go out of her way to help me. I thought she'd forget about me and let me rot away in this cell but she didn't. I wasn't too fond of her fox partner but both were inseparable so I couldn't have one without the other. Whenever Nick came in to visit me, I'd pretend I was asleep so that he wouldn't bother me. But as soon as Judy walked into the prison cell with him, I immediately sat up on the bench and greeted her. It would've been more formal to remove my helmet and acknowledge her presence but I could never do so with the fox tagging along.

Nevertheless, the fox had a few surprises of his own that I didn't anticipate. One day, he brought in his guitar and played a few songs to brighten the mood. I never liked that fox but I could not deny that he was quite a talented musician. His vocals were surprisingly on point, his tone was on par, and that was one of the very few times that I nodded in approval. Of course, he never ceased to tease me... and I never ceased to mock him back, but that's what came in the 'Wild' package as Judy once said.

Several hours after lunch, Jay Howl texted me again to see how I was holding up. He and his family saw what happened on the news and expressed concern about my status. I told them to not worry and that all would be well. Nevertheless, they continued to send me motivational messages to get me through.

Three days later, I found myself pacing back and forth in my prison cell and felt incredibly bored out of my mind. Judy and Nick had already visited me for the day but now they were gone on duty. The main problem with their visits was that they went by too fast. They'd be here between five or ten minutes - depending on when their radio would sound off - and then I spent the other twenty-three hours doing my own routine. Whether that be eating, sleeping, or exercising, I could never keep myself busy enough to pass the time. Due to their busy schedules, they could only come once a week because there were increased reports of crime occurring within the Rainforest district.

Knowing that I'd be stuck in Zootopia for a while, I took it upon myself to learn more about this city so that I could become better prepared when it was time for me to be released. On their next visit, I asked Judy and Nick to bring me a map of Zootopia city, along with some history books. 

Judy kindly brought in a colorful foldout transit map of Zootropolis, along with some historic texts, while Nick brought in a pile of magazines regarding casinos, palm hotels, and something about a Mystic Spring Oasis which had nothing to do with history.

As I read up on the history of Zootopia, I learned that it was once a watering hold location for mammals that wandered far and beyond their lands. Over two thousand years ago or so, the predator and prey families gathered together and formed a sort of alliance that took place near modern Plaza Square.

Unlike mankind's history, the animals here had reached their own period of renaissance faster than us. Eventually, their era of industrialization came about and many more animals migrated towards the urbanized sector of Zootopia where their skills and diverse species helped to shape the city into what it was today. Though, they were more united than my species, that didn't mean they were free from pride and prejudice so it was necessary for legislative acts to be passed. One of the most distinct ones was the Mammal Inclusion Initiative which actually helped to ensure that Judy Hopps would become the first rabbit officer of Zootopia. It was nice to read about someone familiar who made history. Of course, the children's textbooks wouldn't leave out the fox now, would they?

After reading the basic history, I moved on to other texts to familiarize myself with the residents of the city. There were over two hundred species of animals and many of which I had never seen in real life. The most haunting thing about the species book was knowing that most of them were either extinct or endangered in my world. It got to a point where I felt haunted so I had to take a deep breath and put the book away. Rather, I had to stuff it under my mattress. Perhaps I could read it later but things were getting too overwhelming for me. 

_All the animals in this world were no longer ghosts._

Feeling uneasy, I had to distract my mind with something else. Nick's pamphlets were colorful but a bit too colorful for my taste. Instead, I opened up the Zootopia Transit Authority map and took the next half hour to study the routes, roads, and highways of Zootopia. Since this city was about a third as big as most major cities on my former planet, I had no trouble becoming familiar with all the terms. After an additional half-hour, I felt comfortable enough to admit that I had most of it memorized. However, that knowledge would truly be put to the test in the next three months. Chances were I'd become another lost alien tourist.

Two days later, I had read most of the pamphlets, books, and articles that the bunny-fox duo gave me. Now I was bored again and powerless to do anything about it. All I could do was wait for time to pass.

For the next seventeen hours, I couldn't sleep. I grew restless. It got to a point that I deployed a sharp nano knife on my fingertip and began to scratch my name on the floor. I drew the letter 'C' partway but decided to stop to avoid trouble. Thus, I collapsed the nano blade into my gauntlet and sat still. I tried to meditate but was unable to do so.

Day turned to night and night turned to daytime. I didn't get any sleep. My morning exercises were finished, I only took one bite out of breakfast, and all I did was sit there. Had it been three months yet? _No._

It had been only over one month. _That's it._

Now I felt that a three-month punishment was a bit much for violently attacking over twenty ZPD officers. Assuming I attacked twenty-three officers and my sentence was ninety days, then that means I got approximately four days of prison time for each officer I took down. Individually, it wasn't much; but collectively, it all added up. My guilt began to settle in and I could only sit here to regret my choices. Was that the purpose of jail?

Three nights later, I had another restless day. I began to have dreadful dreams of my former world and much was going on in my head. It got miserable enough that I even removed my helmet to get some respite. But as soon as the cougar warden returned, I placed the helmet back on and only got three minutes of fresh air. _Why can't I just be left alone?_ That's one thing I missed from my old world.

On the fourth night, it was like any other. Devoid of sleep, full of darkness, and nothing to do around me.

I sat at my bedside and stared down at the floor. My eyes sagged, depression grew, and my head began to throb as if some strip of barbed wire were passing straight through. I took three aspirin tablets - fit for an animal the size of a tiger - but they didn't help at all. According to the warden's clock, it was 1:07 AM but time felt irrelevant. 

Another night of mental hell.

Zootopia was a great city. Don't get me wrong. But I didn't belong here and I felt so out of place. A human surrounded by caring animals. It's as if this dimension were tearing me apart from the inside because I was a misfit. 

As I rested my heavy head upon my tightly closed fist, there was a light glare at the corner of my visor. It must've been the warden turning on his desk lamp but this light was more orange in color than white. Perhaps he got a new bulb.

However, the light felt off so I pushed through the pain to find out what it was. I stood up in place, walked over to the edge of my cell, and peeked through the bars. Turns out, there was nothing off about the warden's desk space. _But where was that orange light coming from?_ Was it coming from an outside streetlight post? One way to find out.

I approached the window above my bed and glanced outside. Nothing suspicious could be spotted. I scanned the area and couldn't find anything but illuminated streetlamps down below. For how late it was at night, I wouldn't think there would be any activity going on.

But I spotted something strange in the distance...

It was about twenty-six degrees clockwise due north. Ahead in the far distance, about 0.6 miles out, there was a bright orange light. 

_It was a fire._

And it wasn't small. I could tell that it was a fair size and was burning at an accelerated rate. The building wasn't necessarily a skyscraper - as far as I could tell in the dark - but I estimated it to be approximately seven stories tall.

At first, I didn't much care. Not my problem. Not my responsibility. The authorities could handle it. Someone else would take care of it.

For all I knew, it could've been a burning warehouse which was a common occurrence in my world. Assuming the animals of this city had developed sufficient smoke alarm technology, I'm sure everyone within the vicinity had been alerted.

Thus, I backed away from the window and sat back down on my bed. I then took a moment to meditate and put myself to sleep. Over the next while, I succeeded because my eyes felt heavy and I was out.

But something unspeakable occurred to me. 

My mind raced through the fabric of time and I felt myself become temporarily transported back into my former world. A planet that was devoid of life and full of darkness. _Earth-77_.

Another horrendous dream...

And an agonizing flashback...

I found myself standing on the granite cliffside overlooking a wide valley. It was six years after we had lost the war and we were barely holding on. There were no stars in the night sky, everything around me was clouded in a vapor of darkness, I was assigned overwatch, and I held a rifle in my hand. It was a cold, silent, and lonely night.

We thought we were safe until we detected an anomaly...

A slip space rupture breaking the silence...

Echoing through the valley...

One unlike any other...

They found us...

A hostile intergalactic battleship was now hovering over Yosemite forest. Our troopers were taking refuge in the forest bunker but the Seraphim crew had already acquired them. In response, they activated a concentrated beam of ionized energy that began to glass the entire forest and ignite it like a tinderbox. Within seconds, the entire scene became a wasteland and, in the blink of an eye, _my men were gone._

I powerlessly stood on the cliffside and watched as animals of all species, shapes, and sizes were burning alive. They fled the forest - ran together in herds, packs, families - but their sad corpses were helplessly incinerated down to the bone as they attempted to flee the infernal blaze that was tearing their home apart. _What a horrible scene!_

_Innocent animals dying and caught in the middle of mankind's wicked ambitions. They were gone... all gone..._

_The howls, the cries, the whimpers... the pain..._

_The guilt..._

_Never would my fellow humans want to inflict such a terrible tragedy on any creature..._

_And yet... our enemy brought it upon anyone or anything that_ inadvertently stood in their way...

_We didn't ask for any of this..._

_And yet, we had failed them..._

_They were collateral damage..._

_They were no more..._

In that instant, my mind jolted me awake and I was back in Zootopia again. Only three minutes passed and I had to do something. Those animals needed help and they needed it fast. I peaked outside the prison cell window again and noticed that the fire had gotten bigger. The flames had risen. Nothing compared to Yosemite but the past guilt weighed upon me nonetheless.

No time to waste, I decided to head for the cell door.

_I would no longer remain idle..._

_Mankind didn't have to be the enemy anymore..._

_Though it's been centuries, we were perfectly capable of doing good..._

_It was never too late to act..._

I deployed the nano blade in my arm and sliced the metal lock open like butter. Now I was outside of my prison cell and I could feel my heart racing against time.

The cougar warden couldn't believe it and tried to process what had just happened. His face filled with horror at my undisclosed ability. Did they honestly think that nanotech was limited to guns only? With a confident enough mindset, anything was possible. Though I couldn't organize the particles into the shape of claws, I could organize them into the shape of swords because I was more familiar with them.

Next, he immediately jumped over his desk, causing papers to fly around, pulled out his tranquilizer pistol, and pointed it right at me. 

"Hey! _What are you doing?_ Get back in your cell!" he ordered.

I gave him a firm glare. "I'm heading to the fire."

He tightened his grip. "No you're not, sir!"

"Stand aside."

He took a quick step forward and blocked me. "I said get back in your cell! This is your last warning!"

I let out a sigh. "Are you reall going to shoot me?"

He stared at me aggressively, tail flailing back and forth, and arms fully flexed. His adrenaline was pumping and he was about to make the same mistake as every officer previously made in the lobby. Time to spare him the trouble.

 _"Sir..."_ he growled. "Do as I say or I'll--"

At that exact moment, I sliced off the tip of his pistol with my nano blade and tripped him onto the ground in the blink of an eye. He crashed onto his back so I held him down with my boot on his chest. I then pointed the tip of the nano blade and held it inches away from his face. _Rebecca said no guns but she didn't say anything about knives._

"Stand down," I ordered. "I'm leaving."

He tried to free himself by lifting my boot but it was no use. I had him pinned and he surrendered. I grabbed his handcuffs, locked him to his chair, and crushed his radio so that backup wouldn't be on my tail. That is, figuratively speaking and not literally.

"You _don't_ know what you're _doing!_ You can't do this!" he struggled to free himself, his claws unsheathed. "When the Chief gets word of this, you'll never be free."

I was about to exit the room but, before I did, I calmly approached him, placed a gauntlet on his shoulder, and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry officer... but I once stood helplessly on the sidelines... and I won't do it again."

After saying this, I turned the other way and headed for the nearest door. Using my nanoparticles, I converted them into the same sharp blade and sliced open the door lock. Since it was double reinforced, it took three attempts but I finally loosened it and kicked it wide open.

"You can't run away!" the cougar desperately reminded. "The ZPD will find you... and they _will_ catch you!"

I stopped again and collapsed the blade into my arm.

"Don't worry," I said, as I unraveled a roll of nearby packaging tape to silence him. "I'm coming back."

After wrapping him up, I gave the cougar warden a salute and headed down the hallway. His muffled groans were no longer heard and I was alone at last.

I took a sharp left and found all the doors to be sealed and locked tight. However, instead of trying them, I gazed toward the end of the long hallway and saw a full panel window at the end of it.

Approaching the base of the window, I tilted my head down and saw that I was more than three stories above street level. 

The road was empty, no trace of animals outside as far as I could tell, and there were only a couple of parked cars along the base of the building. 

_The coast was clear._

I made my way towards the end of the hallway to get a running start and couldn't believe what I was about to do. Next, I pivoted 180 degrees to face the window, got into position, and made a full-on sprint.

Nearing the end of the corridor, I used my momentum to shatter the glass and I jumped out the window.


	34. Phoenix

The next thing I knew, I was falling with style.

I had jumped out the third-story window of the ZPD like a lunatic. Surrounded by thousands of tiny glass shards within the cold night breeze, my adrenaline propelled me through the air.

Time itself lagged. Everything around me felt like slow motion. But that all ended once I looked down. My momentum ended and gravity took over.

My mortal frame made a hard landing - boots first followed by a somersault - atop of a red van, effectively crushing it flat like an empty soda can. The rest of the glass from above me came raining down, shattering all around, until the entire pavement was covered in a thin blanket of shards.

_Whatever I was doing, I could only hope that it was worth more than the damage done._

_Thank goodness no one was in the van..._

_...I probably should've thought of that before jumping out the window._

After standing up to recover, the damaged van's alarm began to blare loudly throughout the streets and echo across the brick pavement. The sounds alternated between an elephant's trumpet and a lion's meow so I had to flee the area as quickly as humanly possible.

Thus, I brushed off the glass and darted towards the nearest alleyway to avoid detection. After seven minutes of walking, my surroundings fell quiet again. It was 1:37 AM and I couldn't believe I was out this late. Definitely past my curfew. Though it was technically morning, it would appear as nighttime for some. Without daylight or a pocket watch, one couldn't tell the difference.

Unlike daytime, the city was calmer and there were hardly any souls out on the streets. For a moment, it felt like the human world all over again. No talking animals, no constant staring, and no flashing phone cameras. Just me and the lonely sidewalk.

As I panned my head around to admire the exotically shaped skyscrapers standing tall and proud in the night sky, a wave of relief swept over me. The stars were out, constellations were visible, the moon shone brightly, and the air was brisk. It was nice to finally be outside again. 

Back in prison, the closest I ever got to being outside was standing next to the cell window. The stamped steel mesh with the welded iron bars didn't really enhance the experience. Nevertheless, Judy and Nick did their best to ensure my confinement was slightly more bearable, even while under restricted job limitations due to my extraterrestrial nature. For over a month, they made frequent visits and I knew they'd do it for two more months until the sentence was over. They cared about my overall wellbeing and I never imagined feeling grateful for a fox and a bunny.

Truly, I owed them big time.

Unfortunately, what I was about to do would likely jeopardize their invested efforts towards my rehabilitation. My prison sentence would be lengthened, security would be tightened, and trust would diminish. Why then, was I doing this? Because my idleness would haunt me again. The ZPD may put me in bulkier chains but their physical weight would be nothing compared to the mental weight of guilt.

What if a news article came out the next day and described animal casualties in the fire? I felt that would be on me and I didn't need it on my conscience again. Never again. As a strolled further down the plaza, the night sky became clouded with smoke - reminding me that a fire was still blazing and I had to get moving.

But was I exaggerating? Wouldn't the authorities already get there and take care of it? These thoughts made me rethink my decision. But I decided to resume my journey towards the fire. For the first time in years, I'd run towards it and not away from it.

Nearing the end of Baobab Blvd, I heard sirens blaring from behind. Of course, they had to be fire trucks. But they weren't any ordinary firetrucks I was familiar with. Rather, there was an entire squad of them ranging from the size of mine trucks to toy cars. Small, medium, and large, all the imaginable sizes were racing down the empty streets towards the fire. How were the smaller trucks not being run over by the larger ones? It was beyond me. 

Aboard the trucks, I saw mice, giraffes, antelope, wolves, pandas, and even rabbits to name a few. Some were wearing oxygen masks, hard hats, and reflective jackets while the rest prepped the hose cannons. Like my former world, they were standardly equipped except they wore ankle coverings instead of boots and their tails were exposed. Hopefully, those didn't catch on fire.

Realizing I was in plain view, I pulled my hood over and hid behind a blue mailbox. One of them might've spotted me but it was probably too dark for him to tell. Either way, they were focused on reaching their destination and continued driving.

Along the side of each vehicle, I saw the letters 'ZFD' and, one-by-one, they took a sharp left turn down another street. The animal-themed sirens echoed throughout the buildings, surely to wake up any light sleepers, and that's when I decided to follow them.

I began to pick up the pace. My walk transitioned into a jog. I found myself sprinting after those trucks. They were far ahead but I already knew where to go. It didn't take long until the fire came into full view.

The flames had stretched throughout the entire building and engulfed all the floors. Nothing like my cliché dream back in prison but it was still worse than I thought. Eleven stories instead of seven. Within a few seconds, I finally made it to the base of the building where all the activity was.

The building was situated on the corner of the block, fire trucks surrounded it, and animals were establishing a safety perimeter. Outside, I saw herds and flocks of animals exiting the building, coughing, and being escorted by the firefighters. A typical scene except that I was the only human here.

As I passed the parked firetrucks while staying hidden, frantic voices erupted from all around.

"Everyone get back!"

"Clear the area!" a giraffe motioned.

"Is there anyone else on level three?" a nearby animal radioed in.

_"Negative, all clear."_

To my left, adjacent to the burning building, there were over a dozen dollhouses that also caught on fire. At least, I thought they were dollhouses until I saw a fleeing horde of rodents. All civilians apparently and still wearing their pajamas and nightgowns.

One of the nearby wolf firefighters brought over a full bucket of water, shrugged, and simply spilled the contents onto the affected area. The fire was out and the rodents cheered. _That was easy._

However, I don't think a water bucket was going to be of much help on the building ahead of us. It was still ablaze and the flames lit up the entire block. From the prison, it was nothing but a few dim specks of light. But from where I stood, it was brighter than all the combined red lights on the firetrucks. Indeed, the fire had grown tremendously and continue to do so.

Through the flames, a group of animal firefighters triumphantly emerged. Some carried elderly-looking animals, others escorted entire families, and one particular tiger cradled three bunny children in his arms. He brought them out to safety and promptly returned them to their anxious mother.

Was that everyone? I hoped so. There were already a ton of animals standing outside and I couldn't imagine the building holding more. Had it not reached maximum occupancy? Perhaps the laws differed in Zootopia.

I stepped closer to get a better view. The flames were raging but no one else was coming out of the building.

"Alright, stand back." a panda gestured to the crowd. "Morris! Tighten that knob down, will you? 

"On it!"

"Line four is low-pressure sir,"

"Get utilities on the line."

I felt someone's hoove push against my chest and it was a mid-aged antelope fire officer. "Sir, we need you to stand clear of the area."

"Status report?"

He gave me a confused look, trying to see past my hood. "What? No, you need to get out of here. Right now," he kept pushing.

But he couldn't move me. Instead, I held out my gauntlet and pushed him to the side. This transfixed him.

"We need to move everybody out of here _now_. There's another gas leak." A nearby firefighter called.

A male rabbit firefighter hopped towards us. " _Hey_ \- move! Get outta here!"

In a burst of flash, I heard and felt an outward explosion. It was potent enough to completely knock over the smaller animals while putting me on my knees. It came from the second floor and rattled the entire block. A series of screams and cries erupted from the upper levels that sounded hauntingly similar to the ones of my world.

"Boss, we've got animals on the eighth floor!" a giraffe pointed.

Another rabbit mother tried to run towards the building but was stopped by a tiger. "My baby's in there! Please! Save my baby!"

"Ma'am, it's too dangerous!" he said.

"Concentrate hoses on the upper floors!" a chief fire officer directed.

"Do we have a visual on the west interior?" a wolf radioed.

 _"Negative. The debris is too thick on the third floor."_ the apparatus sounded. _"Stairs are severed and we cannot proceed."_

"How are we doing on the aerial ladder?

"Not good, captain. The flames are pouring out the windows. No visual whatsoever."

"Calling backup. ETA is three minutes."

_"Please... Please tell them to hurry! I can't hear anyone inside anymore."_

It was now or never, I thought. That's when I ran towards the wall of flames.

"Sir, wait!" the antelope attempted to stop me. "You can't go in there!"

Too late. He could no longer follow and I was already inside.

The place felt like a fiery inferno. All the walls, flooring, and ceiling were almost completely charred. As I walked up the rickety stairs, they crumbled beneath my weight. Alternatively, I pressed the elevator button but realized I had forgotten basic fire safety. Inoperable, I decided to change gears. With no stairs and no elevator, I deployed my nanoparticles into blades from both arms. I had an idea. 

I jumped onto the wall, stabbed into the mortar brick, and climbed up as if I were using the blades as ice picks. After maneuvering through layers of burning wooden frames, I arrived on the third floor. Debris clogged all the corners, making the area nearly impassible. But before I began to cut my way through, I heard a radio crack in the distance.

_"Officer Packton, do you copy? Do you read?"_

Over to the left, there were two bodies lying on the floor. They were firefighters. A grey wolf and a deer pinned beneath a fallen beam. Their damaged radio continued to sound off but they were both knocked out, unable to respond.

_"Officer, come in!"_

I collapsed the blades and moved to their position. Carefully, I lifted the thick beam - being much heavier than I had anticipated - and pushed it off to the side. I then stooped over to retrieve the animal firefighters and dangled them over my shoulder. Both were still breathing but beyond exhausted. Their respirators were cracked so I had to get them out fast.

From the third level, since there were no stairs to take, I had to improvise. There were various hole patches in the flooring so I jumped through one of them to land on the second floor.

As I touched the tiled ground, the boot impact made a shattered crater and the ground sank by two few inches. Using the same technique, I jumped onto the first floor and spewed up a thick ash cloud upon landing.

I ran outside, placed the unconscious firefighters on the curb at a safe distance, and waited for a medical crew to take care of them.

But as I stood there, something came to mind. _The eighth floor._

They mentioned more animals being trapped on the upper levels so I decided to head back inside. The fire had already grown much thicker than before and I feared that it was too late for another rescue. Nevertheless, someone had to try.

Fresh debris had collapsed from the sidewalls, filling the stairwell shaft with a multitude of jagged struts, and making it awfully time-consuming to bypass, even with modern power tools.

Luckily, I had the ability to proceed.

I deployed the nano blades once again and carved out an irregular path to a nearby wall that stretched forth to the top of the burning building. Upon reaching the base, I jumped onto it, latched myself on, and commenced the vertical climb. 

The smoke grew heavier by the minute but I pressed on. Temperatures soared but that didn't matter. Like an oversized stick of butter, the blades easily sliced through the brick wall under my weight. Hence, I had to make the blades duller to prevent myself from sliding down.

Two minutes passed and the top had been reached. I was now on the eighth floor.

The area was distinctly different from the rest of the building. Though most of it was already in flames, the flooring had zebra-striped tile flooring and the walls were layered with delicately painted palm trees. It was a shame that it'd all end up in ashes shortly.

Aside from the artistic touch, the main room was practically empty so I decided to advance into the next one. Finding a door as tall as my shoulders, I tried the brass handle but it was partially melted. Instead, I decided to kick down the door. But my boot went straight through the wood and got stuck.

Flustered, I used my blade and began slicing through the door like a ravaged necromorph but without the growling sounds. If anyone was still up here, then a jumpscare was the last thing they'd need.

Following some tedious effort, the doorway was clear so I ducked my head and stepped through. The room had multiple bunk beds and they were all empty. The curtains, bedsheets, and ceiling fans slowly withered away in the intense heat. Smoldering particles gathered around my visor so I grabbed a partially burned bedsheet and used the preserved section to wipe away the ash. Now I could see better.

The room was quite long and contained more than twenty miniature bunk beds. All empty. Not an animal soul around. However, as I stepped further, I heard innocent cries and screams.

 _"Help!_ Somebody! Anybody!"

"Help! _Please!"_

They were voices of children.

I tried to search for them but they were nowhere to be found. The closets were empty, the toy chests were full of... well... toys... but there was no one around. And yet, I could hear them crying in the background.

Was I going through another haunting-future-cliche-flashback? Hearing voices of the past? Every cabinet and corner was meticulously checked but no one was around. Maybe this floor had already been vacated. 

I stopped to look around but didn't hear the voices anymore. All went quiet. The only sound was the roaring fire that loudly cracked in the dense air at random burst.

To be safe, I decided to check the closet again. My arms popped the double doors open. Still nothing. Just a pile of smoked blankets and old crates. No one was here as far as I could tell. 

_Time to leave_ , I supposed.

Just then, I saw a fluffy tail sticking out from the bottom of the blanket pile. _Can't hide from me._ I pulled off the cover and was surprised to see a group of animal cubs huddled together. In unison, they all yelped in fear and embraced each other tightly. My presence indubitably frightened them.

Worse, they had nowhere to run.

_They were only kids..._

A fragile sheep boy holding onto two skittish squirrels. Adjacent was a giraffe calf and a hyena cub embracing one another. By their side, there was a white wolf pup and red-coated bunny. Lastly, a lone black bear cub was tucked in a corner, holding onto a stuffed bear with the word 'Mommy' inscribed on the front. _  
_

The fire was one thing but I was another. They all trembled in fear and gave despairing whimpers as if I were a monster. Their pure eyes twinkled as they filled with tears which caused a slight pull on a heartstring.

Never had I seen so many little predators and preys holding onto each other for dear life. Truly, a remarkable moment.

Next to the little ones, there was a box covered with a dusty blanket. I yanked it off, pulled the wooden panel, and found two more of them. Both were tiny bunnies.

Now there were _ten_ animals in total, right here in this closet. _Ten._ _But why so many?_ Was this place a school? No matter, this establishment was beyond recognition. Flames were spreading and I had to get them out of here.

Though they were quite small, I couldn't possibly carry all ten of them. But multiple trips weren't an option. Not when we're eight stories up. The second group would perish by then.

Time was running low so I took a step towards the kids and crouched down. But they backed themselves into a corner and their faces filled with fright. I'm sure the raging fire and the monstrous-looking helmet didn't help calm them.

"It's okay...." I gently held my hand out. "I won't hurt you. Come."

They wouldn't move. Despite the intense heat, they froze in place. Their innocent eyes tried to process the random creature before them.

I knelt closer. " _Please_... come. I can get you out of here."

They burrowed their heads into each other and tightly embraced. Did they already accept their fate? That wasn't going to happen. It would've been nice to transform into an animal right now. At least I'd be more approachable. But wishes don't come true.

As the flames roared in from behind, I panned the area for any clues that could get the kids to come. Nothing obvious came to mind. What do I do? Just grab them? I feared that action would cause them to scatter.

Suddenly, I thought came unlike any other I've had in a while. All it took was a simple photograph on the ground. 

"Do you want to see your families again?"

The cubs sniffled and sat with downcast eyes. Surely this trick would get them to come but only one little bunny and sheep lifted their heads in silence. The rest appeared hopeless.

"Your father... your mother?" I added.

No verbal response. Instead, they seemed to ponder in their hearts and reflect. I got the impression that most of these kids didn't have someone outside waiting for them. Were they... _orphans?_

Feeling despondent myself, my head also dropped. The flames gradually spread along the floor and surrounded the closet. There's no way these kids could walk away without burning their paws.

Any further delay and they would be no more. I had to come up with a better solution. There's a key ingredient to life that everyone needs. _Something to look forward to._ What could these kids look forward to other than not dying? 

An idea came. Thus, I gently turned to them - nearly choking on my own words - and spoke. "Picture the faces of your future families... ... _and how shattered they'd be_ if you let them down."

The animal children sat there in silence and pondered. At this point, I slowly lost hope for them and felt that I tried my best. With my head hung low, my heart began to sink until two of them stepped forward. The bunny and the sheep.

Not a single word was spoken but they encouraged their peers with a hopeful nod. One by one, they all stood up, and shyly came forward. The two bunnies, the two squirrels, the giraffe, the hyena, the wolf, and even the black bear. They were all ready to go.

"Climb aboard." I directed.

My body dropped onto all fours and they stared at each other with great hesitation. Just when I thought nothing would happen, the cubs carefully mounted themselves onto my armor while making room for each other. The predators dug their claws into the armor gaps while I carried the prey in my arms. 

Thank goodness they were lightweight. But there were too many of them. With no other choice, I had to take them all with me.

We made our way towards the broken stairwell and I glanced seven stories down at the drop off below us. Jumping from this height was survivable for me but not for the kids. The flames were escalating so I had to shield the kids away from the intense heat coming from behind. All the predators and preys were now on my front side. 

It got so crowded that the squirrels had to dangle from my outer wrists. To allow more room, my locked palm grip extended to a tight finger grip while the sheep and giraffe held onto the outer edge of my forearm. The rest were tightly held between my inner forearms and chest. Indeed, the kids did well to adapt. Different species but united as one team.

My cloak suddenly caught on fire so I scraped my back against a charred brick wall to tear it off. _It served me well until now._

If my hands were free, I could jump down the smoky stairwell shaft and deploy a nanoblade to control my descent. However, with my hands full of animal cubs, I had to think of something else. How could I jump down seven stories without using my arms and without injuring the kids? I tried to think in the heat of the moment as the room literally got hotter.

The poor animals were coughing so I had to brainstorm.

Just then, I heard the floor crack beneath me. It couldn't sustain my weight any longer, the fire weakened its integrity, and was about to collapse. 

With no more seconds to spare, I leaped into the empty stairwell shaft, turned my back, and scraped against the brick wall. My back absorbed the impact, the cubs were unscathed yet screaming, and gravity caused us to slide down.

Nearing a flaming inferno pit below us, I kicked myself away from the brick wall and we crashed onto the third floor. I aimed for the piano.

However, upon landing, my body fell straight through and landed on the second floor. I'm no musician but that couldn't be good for the instrument.

Thankfully, I landed flat on my back, and the kids rolled all over the floor. Somehow, they were completely fine... at the expense of my back. But my adrenaline pushed the pain away.

Almost nearing the exit, I collected the kids into my arms once more but noticed one of them was missing. _The young sheep boy._

I turned around and there he was. He had rolled a few feet further away from his peers but he ran back towards us for safety. Good thing he was alright too.

But unexpectedly, he ran past dark droplets trickling down from a spilled vial on a table above him. I had no idea what it was until it was too late. All it took was a nearby spark and his entire leg caught on fire. 

_"_ _Mommy!"_ he cried in horrific pain.

The children gasped in terror as he helplessly fell over, continuing to burn. I set the kids down and extended my hand. "Hold still!" I commanded.

From the gauntlet, a thin mist of cold nanoparticles was sprayed directly at the burn site. The little sheep briefly yelped in pain at the frigid texture but quickly became calm. The particles bound with his skin and the wound was now sealed. He was no longer burning.

Sadly for him, he wouldn't notice any difference in the new skin texture. In other words, no metal skin for him. As the new flesh heals back at an accelerated rate in the forthcoming days, the nanoparticles would be pushed out like a splinter. A small price to pay but quite negligible with nanotech. With all that wool, the kid would've been toast.

All the young animals were spellbound by what they witnessed. The young sheep slowly stood up and marveled that he could walk again as if nothing ever happened to him.

With no further time to waste, I gathered up the kids into my arms and prepared to exit the building. The flames engulfed us in all directions and my jog became a full-on sprint. The cubs struggled to breathe, the entire building roared in the angry flames, and the anxiety came in.

Tightly cradling the kids behind my arms, I spotted another window and dived straight through it. 

We landed on the cold, wet pavement and that's when the entire building collapsed behind us. Debris filled the area, my suit shielded the kids, and a dust cloud rose above us. A few moments passed and we were all able to sigh in relief.

Traces of ember and smoke rose from various parts of my partially blackened armor but it was well preserved for the most part. More importantly, the kids were alright and they survived.

As I rested my head back, the animal firefighters came to administer breathing masks to the kids. They had all shapes and sizes for different muzzles. Interesting, I thought.

While most of the kids didn't have parents, they at least had someone looking after them. Other nearby animal adults - who must've lived in the building - also came to their aid by providing basic care.

From what I could gather, only two of them had parents - the sheep and bunny. They were likely visitors who must've been having a sleepover with some of their friends. What a terrible time to have a sleepover but at least they made it.

The bunny and sheep mother ran over to embrace their child but there was a third parent. _An otter mother?_ Why was there an otter here? I never rescued an otter. 

Of course, that's when I felt my arm lift from beneath. There was indeed an otter who somehow tagged along in our group. What in the world? Not sure how I didn't notice him before but at least he was an extra rescued.

Thus, the otter ran over to embrace his mother and it was a satisfying reunion to witness. I didn't want to ruin it so I immediately got up and headed across the street. The parents were distracted in their hugs so it was a good time to head out.

But the entire scene soon flooded with more animal firefighters to make sure everyone was accounted for. I tried to move past them but they were everywhere. A male raccoon then ran over to me with a medkit and breathing mask in his paws.

"That was very brave of you, sir. Stupid, yet brave." he praised while opening up his medkit. He was slightly distracted and hadn't seen my face yet. "For a second there, we thought you were-" 

He lifted his head and his eyes shot wide. The tools he held in his paws dropped all over the pavement.

_Here we go again..._

The rest of the citizens caught on and slowly began to back away in horror. I too decided to back up except I ran away instead.

Before I could take the avenue I came from, an ambulance turned a corner and nearly ran into me. Thankfully, I dodged it and continued down the closed shopping strip.

Once I reached a safe distance, I gazed behind me and admired the empty corner block that once contained an eight-story building. Now in complete rubble, all that remained were ashes and embers. 

More emergency vehicles poured into the area and their lights were almost as bright as the fire itself. It was still going in a few spots but most of it appeared to be contained by now. The animal residents were safe and the worst was over.

Still feeling tired, I leaned against the brick wall of a closed store and took a moment to breathe. A three-minute break. Even though I felt partially drained in the physical sense, my mental state had significantly approved. Still haunted by the past, that moment back there felt redeeming. I was glad to have gone in there and helped.

Thus, I closed my eyes and took another minute to celebrate.

My armor did well to preserve me and surely its design was purposed for situations far more hazardous than building fires. It did well and enabled me to get the job done. Some parts were covered in ashes but it wasn't something that a little bit of water couldn't take care of. All I had to do was jump through that fountain again in Savanna central and then I'd be good as new.

As I clenched my fist in victory, I felt something different. It was like a cold breeze trickling through. I looked and noticed a tiny beige-colored tip on the right index finger of my gauntlet. My actual fingertip was now exposed from the nail up. _Oh, great._

It must've been that sheep child that I used the nanoparticles on. Normally, the particles could be sacrificed in small enough amounts that the loss was nearly negligible. I could treat over seventeen injuries before I noticed any difference in particle reduction. However, my suit was now losing its efficiency.

From here on, if anyone's injured, then they'll have to tough it out because these particles were irreplaceable and the last of their kind. That kid got lucky but no one else will have the same luxury. 

Perhaps it was selfish of me but I still felt obligated to be frugal. To compensate for the exposed fingertip, I repositioned a few nanoparticles from my shoulder armor and applied them to the gauntlets. The armor surface moved like a sand wave in a gentle storm and my fingertips were now covered again. 

I checked my shoulder and noticed a small dent in it. This was due to the nanoparticles being redistributed from there to the fingertip but it wasn't too noticeable.

Next, I checked the hour on my HUD and it was now 2:47 AM. Time to go.

However, as I took a step, I heard a series of voices from behind. They came from inside the store. Odd. The store's sign said 'closed' so there shouldn't be anyone in there at this hour. I checked and saw that it was a PUPS store.

I didn't know Zootopia has its own pet store. _Imagine that._ It got me excited for a bit until the logic came in. Why would a city that's run and governed by animals sell pets? Nothing made sense until I read the actual abbreviation from the above banner:

**PUPS**

**P** arcel **U** nited **P** ackaging **S** ervices

Right...

I knew there was a catch. But who would be making deliveries at this hour? The door was open so I stepped inside. It was dark, cramped, and filled with many cardboard boxes. There were stacks of them here and piles of them there. All of them were closed, most were about the size of a microwave or greater, and they all had paw stamps on them.

Staying low and keeping quiet, I crouched my way towards another aisle of packages. It extended a couple of yards to my right until it turned right again. Not only was this place bigger than I thought but it also felt like a maze.

But what business did I have in here? It felt proper to leave but my curiosity sparked.

As I progressed further, I saw opened boxes and styrofoam scattered all over the floor. The opened boxes had claw marks as if someone were viciously trying to open them in a hurry. Nevertheless, they were all either empty or partially filled with miscellaneous everyday items.

The store was mostly dark but I spotted a lone ceiling light that illuminated a large group of animal figures standing right below it. All I heard was arguing but I couldn't make it out. Thus, I took a few more quiet steps forward.

To my surprise, it was a group of razorbacks.

But not just any ordinary razorbacks. _They were huge._

Unlike the ones from my planet, they stood at least two meters tall, wore dark fabric, and all were armed with spiked baseball bats. _But why?_

One of the razorbacks, who was larger than the rest, held a young male jackal by the shirt collar and threw him down onto the floor. His fur was a light gold color and the tips of his paws were a dark brown. The poor animal was only a third their height, wore a brown postal uniform, had a bruised eye, and his ears drooped back in fear.

 _"Where is it?"_ the razorback growled. "Tell us where it is!"

The frightened jackal splayed his paws. "I-I don't know, sir. It was... it was just here this morning! I-I swear!"

Another razorback kicked his ribcage and stood over him. "Either you find it _right now_... or I'll find you a box, tape it up with you inside, and throw you into the sea!"

"D-Don't please!" the jackal begged from his knees. "I'll find it, I'll find it!"

"You've got 60 seconds. Start looking!" the razorback leader threateningly pointed his spiked club.

With a frantic nod, the jackal postal worker began to search through the spilled boxes inside the safe. He thoroughly went through every label as he attempted to find whatever the leader wanted so badly. Unfortunately, I had a bad feeling he'd become roadkill soon.

Another razorback then approached the leader. "Fire's almost dead. Won't be long before them coppers get here."

"We'll be long gone by then."

"What should we do?"

"Gather up them goods, leave no traces, and start another blaze," he ordered. "We need all the time we can get."

"Wait, another diversion?"

"Yes."

"But sir, the boss ain't gonna be happy when he finds out that-"

"Just shut up and do it," he grumbled.

The razorback flinched and gave two thumbs up. "We're on it!"

They pulled out containers of gasoline and began to pour them along the carpet. There were six of them and they all spread out to cover the store. One of them passed me but didn't know I was there. 

As he trodded closer, I held my breath and let him pass.

Wasn't entirely sure of the situation but it seemed proper to put these bozos in their place. In my world, they'd be on a metal spit but I had something else in mind.

With his back turned, I tried to go for the chokehold. However, I accidentally kicked a nearby box which gave my position away. He immediately turned around and saw me.

"Who the-?"

Before he could finish, I pinched his neck nerve and he fell to the ground unconscious. I dragged his pathetic body and tossed him over into a corner.

"Dilbert, you doing alright pal?" another razorback called. "Dilbert?"

There was no response and they were still unaware of what happened.

"He's probably just listening to his Ipawd," a razorback crook figured. "Get back to work!"

The feral pigs resumed their efforts in pouring gasoline along the carpeted floor. I strode down another aisle to listen for another who came my way. He sounded bigger so I peaked my head around and saw that he was much taller than the previous razorback. 

I checked my immediate area for any tools to be used as a melee weapon. There was some tape, markers, bubble wrap, and empty box covers but that was it. 

From the corner of my eye, I saw a fire hydrant behind a glass barrier. There was something better to the left of it. An ax.

It had a wooden handle with a steelhead mounted to it. With a proper swing, that oversized boar would be porkchop soon.

Being as quiet as possible, I grabbed the ax and held it tightly with both hands. Its shining tip glistened in the moonlight. For some reason, using traditional weapons felt more satisfying than extraterrestrial ones.

Getting ready to swing at the hog, I raised the ax above my head and got into position. I almost made a full lethal swing but stopped midair.

 _This was Zootopia. What was I thinking?_ I couldn't just slaughter this mammal as I did in my previous world. Thus, I broke off the ax tip and only wielded the wooden handle.

The razorback kept pouring gasoline and was still unaware of my presence. I stepped out from the darkness and swung as hard as I could, hitting him flat on the head. The wooden handle snapped in half but the razorback didn't fall. He simply began to turn around slowly while rubbing his head.

"Ow! Dilbert, what the heck was that..." he saw me and briefly paused midsentence. _"...for?_

We both had an awkward staredown and he dropped his canister of gasoline. I grabbed him by the side of the head and slammed him onto the nearby drinking fountain. Two down.

"Someone's here!" Another razor called from behind.

 _"Who?_ Who's here?" the leader shouted in anger.

"I don't know! Dilbert's down! The guy's still in here!"

"Find him! Surround him and bring him to me!"

The razorbacks were now on high alert and on the move. I peeked through the slits of the metal aisles containing cardboard packages and spotted more razorbacks with spiked batons cranked back and ready to swing.

I tried to move down the aisle behind the vending machine but the leader and three more razorback crooks were standing by his side. The young jackal below them was scared and yet he continued to search the boxes. With nowhere else to go, I moved down another aisle around the backside of the store, hoping to find a detour.

Turning the corner, I spotted two razorbacks who stood at the end and spotted me.

"There he is!" one of them called.

"Get him!" the other said while charging.

They both came at me with full speed and vengeance. Armed with nothing except a broken wooden handle, I grabbed the edge of the metal aisle frame and pulled it over. Exerting all my strength, I caused the entire metal structure to tip over like a giant domino and fall over upon the two charging boars. Packages scattered, the metal grating pinned them down, and they frantically tried to free themselves.

"Watch out!" the trapped one called. "He's here!"

 _"Who?"_ the leader called from a distance, trying to spot me. "Did you get him?"

"No, he's coming, he's coming!" the razorback desperately waved from beneath the heavy aisle that held him down.

I hid behind another aisle of packages and took a step closer to the ceiling light where the leader and three other boars all stood. The temptation to pull out my gun was high but I remembered the promise I made to my coyote interrogator. Alternatively, I would've pulled out my nano blades but I didn't want to risk losing particles to these wretched hogs. They weren't worth the irreplaceable resources. Thus, I simply stayed in hiding and tried to use any resource around me.

"Come out where I can see you!" the razorback leader called. He then grabbed the jackal postal worker, placed him in a headlock, and held a spiked bat to his neck. "Come out or I'll give this pipsqueak the same treatment you gave my crew!"

I let out a small sigh and shook my head. Why was I wasting my time with these low lives? I once fought against Seraphim, one of the greatest threats known to mankind, and how I was fighting with a bunch of talking boars. Granted, they were nearly as tall as me but they were still boars. Such a disgraceful downgrade of enemy combatants in my opinion. No matter, I already came this far.

With both my fists tightly clenched, I stepped into the light and stood in plain view. The bright white armor had an eerie glow and the blue eyes on the helmet gave off an unsettling ambiance. I knew this because I saw my reflection in the mirror behind the crooks.

The razorback leader, his three other henchmammals, and the jackal were all utterly dumbfounded. The room fell into silence, no one spoke, and the only audible sound was the electric current in the ceiling light. 

I defiantly folded my arms and stared the animals down. The razorbacks looked at each other with uncertainty and then to their boss. The jackal who was still in a chokehold rapidly blinked his eyes as if he were seeing things. Finally, the head razorback gave an impressed smile.

"Well, well..." he said with approval. "Look who decided to show up."

The three hench boars wildly turned their attention back and forth. "My gods, is that really him? It can't be!"

"It's him alright," the leader confirmed. "I know a monster when I see one."

After a brief moment of silence, they began to murmur with one another. "Should we turn him in, boss? We could get ourselves some serious bounty."

"Yeah, we should!" the other agreed. "Imagine how easy of a payday that would be!"

"I say we do it!" the other boar chanted.

The three razorbacks attempted to march forward but their boss held out his arm. 

"No!" he barked. "That won't be necessary."

The others sounded disappointed. "But...But, boss? He's-"

"Shut your yapper! I'll handle this." the razorback boss handed the jackal hostage to the other razorbacks and took a step towards me. He extended his arm to me but kept a cautionary distance. "The name's Tusk."

I only gave him an indifferent glare and said nothing.

He waited for a response but silence prevailed. He peeked back at his hench mammals and then back at me. "I don't know _who_ or _what_ you are but I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. So how bout a deal?"

I listened but maintained my stance.

He positioned himself as if giving a pitch. "My boss could use a mammal of your type and I'm feeling mighty generous today. Work for us... and we can start you off at Three G. _A week that is._ We can let bygones be bygones... What do you say?"

"I say no."

 _"No?"_ he looked at me as if I were stupid. "I don't take 'no' for an answer. _Nope._ Not here, not now, not ever."

My head tilted. "Then what do you take for an answer?"

He gave a hideous grin. "I'll take a simple 'yes' from you. That's all I'm gonna take. So, you're in, right?"

"Not interested." I immediately answered.

 _"Not interested?"_ he winced. "I'm offering you a chance of a lifetime here. And I'm sure, with some bit of convincing, my boss could make it Five G... _Five G..._ imagine that. Don't go throwin' away that Zootopian dream."

"Still not interested."

He raised an eyebrow, folded his arms, and snorted. "Well, you don't have much choice now, do you? If you say _no_ , then my hogs here will bash you and the postal boy's head in. And believe me, it ain't gonna be pretty once we're through with you."

Behind the leader, I saw the other three hogs gather in front of me in a semi-circle formation. They readied their spiked bats, flexed their arms, and cracked their necks. One of them tossed the jackal boy to the ground and held a spiked bat to his neck. By instinct, his fluffy tail curled around his body, his ears drooped back, and his eyes filled with fear.

"Choose wisely," the razorback leader gave an ugly, evil grin. "We don't have all morning."

"Let him go," I ordered. "And we'll settle this another way."

"I'm the law where I'm from," he said with a wicked chuckle. "So we'll settle this my way."

I took a step forward and sternly pointed at the razorback's chest. "Don't. Do. It."

The razorback leader gave me a glare and held the spiked bat closer to the young jackal's neck.

"You take one more step, he's a goner." the razorback threatened. "Any sudden movements and he's also a goner." 

Maddened by his actions, I lifted my arm to start forming a nano pistol but it was taking too long to self-assemble. Seconds instead of milliseconds.

Before it could form all the way, the razorback pressed the spiked bat against the young jackal's neck, causing him to wince at the sharp imminent pain. 

"Ah, ah, ah, no tricks, and no sorcery either!" the razorback threatened. "Do it again, and I'll bash his head inside out. Believe me, I'll do it!"

In response, I immediately stopped the pistol from forming all the way and dropped both my hands.

I froze in place and looked into the young jackal's helpless eyes. Even though he was only an animal, his innocence lightly tugged my heartstrings. I've seen plenty of jackals perish in my lifetime and I never lost sleep over it. But for a jackal who was more sentient, things were far different.

"Now... " the razorback continued. "...you will help us load up the van. You and the boy will come with us, and then we'll go from there." he grabbed the jackal by his shirt collar and held the bat closer to his neck. "Deal?"

My blood boiled in anger and I hated the situation I found myself in. Now the jackal's life was in my hands and I didn't ask for any of this. I just wanted to check out the fire, help in any way I could, and be done with it. But now, I got involved in this hostage situation. I didn't know any of these animals and I certainly didn't know the jackal but I couldn't live with the guilt anymore. I had to give in.

Thus, with a regretful sigh, I held up my arms. "Deal."

The razorback leader smiled at my willingness to comply and nodded in victory. It was a terrible situation but I felt that I didn't have a choice. If I pulled my weapons, he'd hurt the boy. Any sudden movements, he'd also harm the boy. I had the power but I couldn't use it lest I had another death fall upon my conscience.

Without thinking, I lunged after the razorback leader.

He raised his bat to swing at the young jackal but my gauntlet took most of the impact and shattered the bat. My entire weight fell upon the razorback, the jackal boy fell to the side, and my blood was pumping.

The razorbacks swung at me but I heeded not to their feeble attempts. Instead, I repeatedly punched the razorback leader in the face as if I were holding down the 'B' button. 

Just then, a razorback came in from the side and tackled me to the ground. I kicked him over and jumped back onto the leader again.

The struggle grew intense but I was dominating. His pathetic henchmen were no match and couldn't help him anymore. They could swing their primitive clubs all day but their efforts were futile.

As I lifted my arm to throw down another punch, I felt an extremely sharp burst of pain. It shot through my entire mortal frame and caused me to fall over. _What the hell was going on?_

I looked at my forearm and saw a dark slanted object wedged between the armor plates.

It was a rusty six-inch nail that had penetrated my arm and impaled one of my nerves. Blood began to ooze through the opening and I realized that it was the same place that the doctors drew blood from my arm. The opening on the armor plating was still there and one of the nails from the razorback's spiked clubs managed to get through.

My body collapsed to the ground flat, the razorbacks held me down in position, and I tried to process the sudden sharp pain.

"Heh! Not so tough now, are you?" the leader huffed proudly as he pushed the thick nail deeper into my arm. "I want you to remember this moment if you ever think you can mess with Tusk again!"

I couldn't feel my arm anymore and my other fighting arm was too tired to continue. This was it. _They had me._

The razorbacks celebrated, spat upon my body, and lifted their clubs to strike a final blow.

It was over. I failed. I put up a good fight but the pain was too much for me to handle. I needed time to recover but they were all over me.

I closed my eyes and that's when I heard loud yelping. But it wasn't me. Instead, it was the leader of the razorbacks. I lifted my head and saw that the young jackal had jumped onto his back, dug his claws in, and was biting his neck.

 _"Leave him alone!"_ the young jackal cried.

"GAH! Get him off me! Get him off!" the leader panicked.

"Hold still!" a razorback prepped his bat.

The other razorback went to help out. Mustering all the strength I could, I stood up to fight back. My entire arm was dead due to nerve damage but I still had the other arm. While the leader and the jackal were struggling, I grabbed one of the razorbacks by his ears, and threw him out the window. Glass flew everywhere and he was laying unconscious out on the street.

Next, the razorback with a baseball bat was about to swing at the jackal boy but I snatched his baseball bat and knocked him out with the butt end. He fell to the floor, partially unconscious so I kicked him in the face to knock him out.

Gaining control, the razorback leader threw the jackal boy across the room like a ragdoll. The boy crashed into the drywall, shattering it upon impact, and he lied there motionless.

Filled with rage, I kicked the razorback directly in the kneecap which made a loud cracking sound and inverted his leg. I then grabbed the weakened razorback by the neck but couldn't lift him. He was too heavy to lift with one arm.

Thus, I decided to use both arms to raise him high in the air. As his legs dangled helplessly, a river of crimson blood continued to ooze down my white armor until thick droplets trickled from my elbow. But I didn't care.

 _"No, no, no! Please!_ Please don't" he begged. "Please don't kill me! I'll do anything!"

Fighting the pain in my arms, I pulled him in closer, squeezed his neck, and glared. "I won't kill you... but your hospital bills will."

Without mercy, my arms thrust him up into the ceiling lamp. Sparks flew everywhere, glass littered the area, the ceiling cover came crashing down, and the hog was done for. Still alive but finally defeated. The entire room went dark, all lights were out, and the razorback leader was also out.

The room fell dead silent and the only visible light was the moonlight. I looked around for a light switch and saw one behind a pile of boxes. I painfully made my way towards it while covering my arm as blood oozed from around the rusty nail. It was incredibly agonizing but I had to tough it out. At least it was over.

That was far more violent than I had anticipated. Going to postal stores will never be the same again. Who would've thought?

I slid down the wall and grunted in pain. Luckily, there was a breaker box conveniently situated next to me so I decided to flip the power on. I broke off the metallic paw-shaped lock and turned on a few emergency lights.

At that moment, I remembered something. The young jackal boy.

I painfully stood up and scanned the room for him. There he was. The poor animal was on the ground lying at the base of the wall. I picked him up and carried him over into the center of the room where there was more visibility. Thankfully, he was still breathing.

"Kid, are you okay?" I shook his shoulder.

It took him a minute but his eyes finally blinked to adjust to the light. I propped his head up and that's when he finally became awake. Upon seeing me, he instinctively flinched but I held him down. His claws unsheathed and he scraped the carpet.

"Breathe. You're safe now." I assured.

"Please don't hurt me!" he begged. "Please, sir!"

"I'm not going to hurt you. It's me, remember?"

He rubbed his eyes and sat up straight. As his vision adjusted, he finally caught a full glimpse of me and stared in horror. However, I simply sat there and allowed him to process everything. That's when his stare transitioned from horror to wonder.

"Oh my heavens, you're... you're that guy... aren't you?" he asked. "The one from T.V.!"

I nodded and leaned against the pillar in pain. His wonderous stare then turned to worry.

"You're bleeding! Badly," he pointed.

"It's nothing," I said.

"Here, let me... let me help you!" he ran over to the counter to grab a first aid kit and knelt by my side. "I'm a certified ZMT, I got you."

 _Whatever that means_ , I thought to myself. As I leaned back on the pillar, the young jackal pulled out packets of gauze and firmly placed them around the rusty nail.

"We should call an ambulance," he suggested while pulling out his phone.

I lifted my other arm to stop him. "Please don't."

"B-But sir, I can patch you up but you have a giant nail wedged into your arm."

"I can see that," I said rolling my eyes. "Help me pull it out."

"Are you sure? I don't feel comfortable with-"

"Just do it." I insisted. "Please."

With the emergency services being only a phone tap away, he reluctantly set his phone down and agreed to help. "Okay," he said with uneasiness. "I'll try to be as gentle as possible and you keep the pressure on-"

"Just pull it out," I demanded. "Fast."

With my gauntlet holding my arm steady, he carefully wrapped his fingers around the head of the nail and successfully pulled the paw out. Since the nanoparticles wouldn't close around the original puncture hole in the arm, I decided to place my gauntlet over the opening and manually spray a mist of particles to seal it up.

I felt the coldness of the particles enter my skin and assemble to form an artificial closure to the nerve. Granted, it was painful but it was much faster than waiting for the medical services. Plus, I didn't want this all to be broadcasted on T.V.

The young jackal observed in wonder as the forearm was now sealed and all that remained were dry traces of blood. He took a damp towelette and wiped away the forearm until it was bright and clean again. The rest of the armor was still partially covered in dark ashes but that was the least of my worries.

"You're not... from around here, are you?" he nervously asked.

My head tilted. "What gave me away?"

He gave a shy expression and continued to clear the affected area. Seemingly fascinated by the armor structure, he tried to understand why I didn't have fur by lightly brushing the edge of it. He examined his fingers closely and couldn't find any traces of loose fur.

Finished with cleaning, the animal postal/ZMT worker stood up, brought forth a chair, and offered his paw to pull me up. Such a polite lad. There's no way he could pull me up by himself but he sought to gain trust. He already earned it so I let him pull me up while I used my legs for support.

Sitting upright felt nice but the new position stirred different pain receptors in the forearm. _My good, it hurt like none other._ It would take some time for the nerves to be fully operational again but I was feeling better. My arm still felt partially dead but at least it was patched up.

"Are you... are you gonna be okay, sir?" the young jackal asked. "That looks painful."

"Just a flesh wound," I joked. "I'll be fine."

The young animal also found a chair and sat across from me. He continued his wonderous stare for over a half minute until I broke the silence.

"You doing alright, kid?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm pretty much okay." he exhaled in relief. He paused to ponder and his face filled with a light smile. "Thanks for saving me, by the way."

"No, thank you," I said while my fingers flexed back and forth to get the blood flowing again. "I was almost done for."

"I think we both were," he acknowledged. "But we made a good team back there... didn't we?"

"Indeed." I nodded.

He lifted his paw for a high five or, in his case, a high four. I hesitated but decided to give him one to lift his youthful spirits.

He tried to think of what else to say but I could tell words weren't coming to him. It wasn't every day that he'd encounter a creature like me but he seemed to be taking it well.

As we both sat there, a worried look came to his face. 

"Do you think they'll wake up?" he asked, referring to the crooks.

I stood up, walked over to the razorback leader's head, and gave it a firm kick. Next, I sat back down.

"No," I replied.

"Oh...um..." he stared downward and nervously crossed his feet and paws. "Do... um... do you think we should call the um... police?"

I tilted my head. "Why are you asking me?"

"Good point." he nodded but still felt nervous. "B-But do you think we should?"

"They will come," I affirmed.

"Oh... okay..." he said calmly. 

We both sat across from each other in awkward silence and I waited for him to talk. I was too tired to speak and felt that getting impaled by a rusty six-inch nail was a justifiable enough reason to stay silent.

"How old are you?" I asked randomly.

"I'm seventeen," he answered. "Well, technically, I'm sixteen but I'll turn seventeen in a few days."

"I'm sorry this happened to you."

A nervous smile came to him. "Oh... um... I'll be okay. Really. It's just... I got stuck in the night shift, doing inventory on the packaging, applying the paw stamps, you know... and that's when they came."

"Do you know why they came?"

He thought for a moment. "I honestly don't know what they were after... I uh, tried to ask them... but they wouldn't tell me. It didn't belong to them, I tried to tell them it wasn't theirs but they... _threatened me."_ he finished as a haunting sense came to him.

"It's okay," I calmed him. "Tell me more."

He took a deep breath, fighting small sheds of tears as the past events were still fresh in his mind. "They gave me an address and asked me to find the package... _but I couldn't find it._ They said it was... well... some sort of device... or something along those lines... but that's all I could gather."

"All this trouble for a lousy package?" I joked.

But the young jackal didn't find it funny. Instead, a sad look came to his face. "Apparently, it wasn't any... _ordinary package_. They really needed it. _Like badly._ They threatened to harm me if I told anyone that they took it."

I stared down at the floor and then at the unconscious bodies of the razorbacks and nodded. "Well, kid, it's over now. You don't have to worry anymore."

"It's just... it was so scary," he got emotional. "They came so suddenly. I didn't know what to do, they kept yelling and yelling at me, calling me stupid, telling me I was worthless, and I felt so sick to my stomach." he teared up. "I...I didn't think I was going to make it through the night. They kept threatening and threatening me, and I was going to text my family, tell them I wouldn't make it home."

The traumatized jackal continued to cry and sniffle. I was about to pass him a tissue but there was blood all over it. Thus, I tossed it aside and handed him a clean one from his medical bag. He gratefully accepted it.

"Listen," I leaned in closer, face to face. "Forget what happened. It's not your fault. You're a smart kid and one of the most incredible jackals I've ever known. And believe me, I've met a lot of jackals in my lifetime."

"You... you really think that?"

"Every word."

He lifted his head and cracked a smile. _"Thank you, sir"_

"If anything like this ever happens again, you call me next time."

His ears perked up but he looked confused. "You have... _a phone?"_

I shrugged. "Sort of."

He eagerly pulled out his phone. "What is it?"

"All sevens."

He tilted his head. "Like... you mean, 777-777-7777?"

"Yes."

He slowly tapped it into his phone. "That's a real number?"

"It is now."

He dialed the number to test it, and, of course, my helmet started to vibrate against my skull.

"But do call sparingly." I requested. "If you can."

"Oh, um, of course," he nervously nodded. "Th-Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it. I'm just here to help."

He gave another warm smile and fiddled with his paws.

Meanwhile, my arm was feeling slightly better but I could still sense an empty space within the chambers of my flesh. Hopefully, the nerve damage wasn't permanent. 

In their prime, nanoparticles can work great wonders. For most common injuries - such as phaser impacts, knife wounds, and acid burns - the nanotech could easily heal the vast majority of them. However, since my limited reserve of nanoparticles was going through minor signs of degradation, I felt unsure about how effective they'd be for the future. According to my estimates and the rate I used them, they'd lose half their efficiency in about three years. Without my lab, there was no way to resurrect them. Thus, they were subject to entropy.

As I sat in the same chair, I noticed that it was now 3:37 AM. Still early morning. Only three minutes have passed.

Interestingly enough, the parcel store was filled with knocked over shelves, a broken drinking fountain, a shattered window, scattered boxes, damaged lights, unconscious bodies of pathetic razorbacks, and a jackal teen having a staring contest with an intergalactic soldier. _Quite the setting, I must say._

"So, um... what's your story?" the young animal curiously inquired.

I leaned forward and pondered. "It's a long one," I said. "It's probably on T.V. and the rest is recorded with the ZPD."

He also leaned forward. "They're after you... aren't they?"

I nodded.

"My dad talked about you at supper today," he continued. "He's... um... he's one of the mammals that escorted you about a month ago. Do you remember him? He's in the ZPD SWAT."

"I saw five jackals that night," I recalled. "Your father was probably one of them."

"Yeah, I'm sure that was him." he lightly chuckled in nervousness. "He kept saying you were dangerous but... I don't think that's the case anymore."

I shrugged. Depends on whose side someone was on. Luckily for the jackal, he wouldn't have to worry.

"So, um... what are you going to do?" he wondered.

Before I could answer, I heard nearly inaudible sirens in the city background. They sounded more like ambulances but they reminded me that the authorities could be well on their way at any minute. Thus, I stood up from my chair and the kid's eyes widened.

"I need to keep moving," 

He slowly stood up as well and stared in admiration at my height. Sometimes I still felt amazed to be in a world of talking animals but I usually did well to not stare for too long. It just wasn't polite, I thought. But this young jackal wouldn't take his eyes off me.

"What is it?" I asked.

He shook away his thoughts to refocus. "It's just... I've never met a... well... _an extraterrestrial_ before."

"Never?"

He shook his head. "N-Never," he said shyly. "I mean, I've seen them in movies and such, but... you're different. Like really different."

He sparked my curiosity. "How so?"

"It's... it's kinda hard to explain... but... I guess... maybe it's just I'm not scared anymore..." he pondered. "...almost like, I don't have to be scared anymore.... or at least I don't have to be as scared."

His words made me think back to old shows in my world and how the aliens were portrayed. Indeed, they were not a force to be reckoned with and they are frightening from the start. But even they had their weaknesses. Whether that was water, flying a jet into the ship's tractor beam, or not having the home-field advantage, there was always _something_. 

"I'm glad you think that way," I said. "It's nice to speak with someone who understands."

"Thank you," he smiled warmly. "And sir, it's incredible to finally meet you in real life. I... I can't tell you how grateful I am. Out of all the mammals in Zootopia, you came... and you saved me."

"You saved me too, kid."

"Maybe... but still. Everyone was wrong about you," he said. "Sometimes the news... _thinks_ they know someone... but they don't."

"That tends to happen."

He let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I... I suppose so."

We both enjoyed a brief moment of comfortable silence and that's when I remembered what I was wanting to ask him.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Oh, um, I'm Cody." he extended his paw.

I shook it and gave a slight head bow. "Pleasure." 

His eyes widened at the size difference between his paw and my hand. _"Wow,"_ he whispered to himself before clearing his throat. "And what's yours?"

"Cherry."

He lifted one ear. "Oh... your name is... _Cherry?"_

"Yes."

This took him by surprise. Perhaps he was expecting something that sounded more alien. "Oh... nice... That's easy to remember!"

As Cody and I continued to chat, there was a familiar sound emanating from the street followed by flashing red and blue lights that grew brighter by the second. Just in time.

"I have to go, Cody. Do you know a way out?"

"Oh, yeah, for sure. There's a, um... back door over by the locker rooms." he pointed. "Just over there."

I glanced behind me and saw what he was referring to. "Well, gotta run," I said. "Good luck."

But the young jackal ran by my side. "Wait, Cherry... I'll go with you."

Without having much say, I allowed him to tag along. He switched off the breaker and caused the entire parcel store to go dark again. Now we had the darkness to keep ourselves concealed from the authorities. Granted, we were technically innocent and those feral hogs would be served justice, but the jackal and I weren't in the mood to answer questions. Perhaps they could wait until later in the day when we were well-rested.

The animal police approached the front of the store and switched on their flashlights to search the interior. Thankfully, the razorbacks were easily found and placed into cuffs while the rest of the officers began to secure the area.

We stayed low and kept quiet. I followed Cody through the store and he escorted me to the locker rooms. The darkness made it difficult for me to navigate towards the exit but the young jackal had night vision and found the door. 

We both stepped into another large spacious room but it was nearly pitch black. I knocked over a couple of boxes but caught hold of them before they slammed into the ground.

"This is the loading dock," the young jackal explained. "Just one more door."

I still couldn't see a thing. I would've activated my night vision too if my suit wasn't being so glitchy. No matter, I heard Cody thumbing through the keys so we were almost out of here.

"There! Got it," he said.

The double doors opened and moonlight mixed with cool air poured around us. We were now outside again. 

"This way," he called.

He jogged down a narrow alley and beckoned me to come. I followed. After transitioning from indoor carpet to outdoor pavement, I realized just how loud and robotic I sounded with each step I took. My boots clanked hard on the ground whereas the jackal's steps were softer and stealthier. 

We turned around a few corners until we came to a place that was filled with colorful boxes. They were all slanted and triangular shaped for some reason. Not sure what they were but I continued to follow the jackal.

"Be careful through here," he warned.

 _What was he talking about?_ I followed as before until the alleyway got a few inches thinner. It was also filled with colorful triangular boxes for some reason. One-by-one, with each step I took, I crushed them like an empty 12-pack box of soda cans. They were empty anyway so there wasn't much to it.

However, the young jackal heard my step on another one and turned around. His eyes widened and he placed both paws over his mouth. "Oh... Cherry..." he facepalmed. _"Please be careful."_

"What do you mean? 

"Well, um... you just... you just destroyed a bunch of rodent food stands." he pointed right behind me.

I looked and noticed small pieces of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and many other food crumbs scattered in random piles behind me. Oh, great. Turns out, those triangular boxes were indeed food stands. They were not just random colored boxes.

Feeling ashamed, he grabbed the side of my forearm. "It's okay, I'll...um... I'll come back here tomorrow and help them clean it all up," he assured. "Good thing they were closed, right?"

 _I suppose_ , but that didn't help me feel much better. Everywhere I went in Zootopia something always got broken. Windows, doors, walls, I could name a few more. Regardless, Cody gestured me to follow him further so I tried to keep up with him. Wasn't sure where he was taking me but I trusted him.

After thirty seconds, we turned a few more corners until the alleyway got wider again. There were more colored boxes scattered on the ground so I took extra measures to ensure I didn't step on any of them. Honestly, it was quite a culture shock knowing there were Zootopian citizens that could fit into the palm of my hand- even as fully grown adults. Back in prison, I read about the many different citizen species from a pamphlet. But being out on the streets was an entirely different experience that one couldn't merely read about.

Nearing the end of the alleyway, there was a large metal gate that stood one meter above my head. I tried the handle but it was locked from the other side. Kicking the door down could've been an option for me but the young jackal had a more subtle approach.

"Can you give me a boost?" he asked.

I cupped my gauntlets and lifted him up. He leaped over the metal gate, pulled the lock pin, and I was able to proceed. We then jogged through one final passageway and took a sharp turn to the right. A few yards later, we were on the main street

"We're out in the clear now," the young jackal announced. "You should be good."

I looked both ways for police cars but couldn't find any. "Thank you, Cody."

"It's a pleasure to help out an extraterrestrial," he smiled warmly. "Almost like a dream come true."

"Not like the movies, is it?"

"Well, so far, I'd say it's... it's better. Much better." he said excitedly. "Plus, you saved me. Not many mammals of my age get that kind of experience."

"Just don't tweet it," I cautioned. "If you can help it."

One of his ears perked up. "Oh, um... tweet? I'm a jackal."

I sighed. "I mean, don't social-media-ize it."

"Oh, right, I... I understand. For sure."

"Great." I gave a thumbs up. "I bid you farewell."

"Thanks!" he smiled. "It was an honor meeting you!"

"Can you get home safely from here?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I should be alright. My apartment is three blocks that way." he pointed.

I heard distant police sirens but the flashing lights weren't yet visible. Time to run before this entire area lit up.

"Take care, Cody," I gave him a fist bump before taking off.

He waved. "You too, Cherry! Good luck dude!"

 _What a good kid_ , I thought. Definitely wise beyond his years. I wished him the best and felt confident that he'd get home to see his family again. Hopefully, he'd continue working as a ZMT responder instead of a PUPS deliverer because the former sounded safer. At least he wouldn't be alone since medical staff would be by his side. Regardless of wherever he worked, he deserved a raise.

After three minutes of jogging, I proceeded down a spacious part of Zootopia called Riverside Plaza. Indeed, it was a wide-open area filled with closed food stands and entertainment booths of all different shapes and sizes. Some stands had countertops above the level of my chest. Others were suitable for a hobbit.

Within the middle of the dark plaza, few street lamps were lit. It was ideal for me because the goal was to not get spotted by anyone. Once in a while, I saw a few lone animals sitting under the moonlight but it was too dark out for them to notice me. 

The food stands got bigger and bigger as I journeyed on. Soon, I realized that they were built for elephants due to the obvious logos. In a way, it made me feel like a dwarf roaming in a shopping center managed by grey trolls with ivory horns.

However, one of the food stands was unlike the rest. It was much smaller too despite behind surrounded by taller ones.

Instead of brightly colored coverings to protect the product, this rusty stand was empty and appeared to have been out of commission for years. It had tarps but they were partially torn and filled with spider webs. I approached the stand and found that it wasn't a food stand. Rather, it was some sort of tailoring stand.

I rubbed the muck off the aluminum sign and it read as _'Suit-topia.'_ How creative.

The reason it closed remained a mystery. Perhaps the animals here didn't like having their waists measured after consuming a cub sandwich.

That's when I decided to make use of the stand. I tore off a thin piece of tarp and attached it to the base of my neck. My previous cloak burned so I got a new one. It was similar to the one I 'borrowed' from the Bunnyburrow farm except that it was much darker in color.

Staying as quiet as possible, I exited Riverside Plaza to proceed South. Before I took the highway bridge, I descended down to the river so that I could wash away all the ashes.

The water was cleaner than I imagined. The surface appeared crystal clear and far exceeded my expectations. In my world, we had beautiful gadgets but the same couldn't be said for our rivers and lakes.

The shoreline was filled with fine-grained sand and was an ideal place to meditate. I even took off the helmet, placed it on a rock, and sat to admire the night stars with my naked eyes. Nothing like a cold, gentle breeze to clear my head. All alone, all peaceful.

Cleaning the armor took quite a bit of elbow grease but the dark charcoal came off eventually. Despite the minor dents and glitches, the armor shone brightly in the moonlight and appeared as good as new. 

I stared eye-to-eye into the helmet, blue eyes with blue eyes, and pondered back to previous war eras among my people. Staring into the natural eyes of the enemy often hit like a phaser round. But if the enemy had a full face covering, then there was no emotion. Only intimidation.

Sometimes, I felt haunted staring into my own helmet. It appeared much like other soldiers of the Intergalactic Stratocracy. Even the Seraphim. They had black armor with red eyes whereas the rest of us had white armor with blue eyes. Whenever I glanced at my helmet's eyes, I saw my brethren. I hardly ever saw their natural faces so a helmet was how I remembered them. In a way, it felt like I was holding the decapitated head of someone I once fought alongside. That's one of the reasons I always wore my helmet. I didn't like staring into a ghostly artifact of the past future.

I set the helmet down on the rock again and decided to stare out onto the water. The city skyline reflected upon the surface like a mirror and made for a spectacular view. The hour was 4:17 AM. Perhaps it was best for me to head back.

But the air felt so great around my ears that I decided to stay.

Of course, that's when I heard voices. They were approaching fast. In a heartbeat, I stood up and heard something splash into the water. _My helmet._

It was on top of the cloak when I was sitting down. But standing up caused the cloak to shift underneath which led to the helmet rolling away. The helmet slowly began to sink and drift away but I dolphin dived into the water to retrieve it. _What a close call._ My sore arm made it difficult to swim but I somehow managed.In celebration, I raised the helmet in the air but quickly placed it on my head as I heard the voices again. They were weasels. 

One male and one female. Both were wearing exotic swimwear, carrying towels, and the male carried a wireless speaker. I swam towards shore and both saw me exit the water.

"Yo, what's up?" the male greeted. "How's the water temperature?"

I kept my back turned, hoping they'd only see my silhouette. "A little tepid," I answered.

"Ha, we picked a good time then!" the male cheered.

"What are you doing out so early?" the female weasel asked.

I could ask the same thing so I chose not to answer. Instead, I made a sprint for the bridge. My wet cloak flapping in the air.

"Yo, where you going? I brought some pop!"

He didn't even know who or what I was. And yet, he wasn't afraid to share. I would've accepted but didn't want to cause another animal fright. 

Being alone was preferable but someone or something always had to come along. Even at such an early hour, it was hard to get alone time without having animals interrupt it. Because of them, the helmet almost got lost

After ascending from the beach, I crossed the bridge and took a sharp left onto Baobab Blvd. There, the activity was still low but more apartments lights became illuminated as the animals were starting to wake up. Truly, the city of Zootopia never slept. Sometimes, I just wanted it to.

A group of tiger paperboys was already out on their bikes delivering newspapers to all the residents. Behind them, there were mice on tandem bicycles with up to ten rodents per bike. 

Correction, there were actually twenty per bike. 

They too delivered but only to the miniature apartment buildings situated beneath the sandstone stair ramps of the normal-sized buildings. At least, I based 'normal' off of 'human' size but nothing in Zootopia could be considered 'normal.' Even the buildings that were more suitable to my height had something off about them.

Thus, everything about this city - the architecture, the design, etc. - didn't feel normal. Some of it was familiar while most of it felt vastly foreign.

For example, the doors appeared strange. Many of them had a small door carved into the large door while a smaller door was carved into the small door. Overall, one door served as three doors. Sometimes four. This city did well to accommodate animals of all different shapes and sizes. Inclusivity at its best.

The animals on bikes were about to pass me so I hid behind one of the trees to avoid being spotted. After they turned a corner, I briefly ascended the steps of an apartment building and picked up one of the thrown newspapers. _The Zootopia Times._

Physical newspaper copies in my world were no longer a thing so it was nice to pick on up for a change. I didn't have time to read, lest I be caught by someone, but I decided to read some of the headlines. 

_'Record Winds in Sahara Square'_ and _'Blueberries are the New Blackberries'_ were some of the articles I skimmed over. At the top of the paper, one page over, there was another article that read _'Questions Linger over Mystery Mammal.'_

I tossed the paper to the side and walked to the end of the boulevard. Taking a sharp right, I found myself on Acacia Street. At the end of it, there was a left turn off but I decided to take the alleyway instead. Fewer animals, less attention, but more bums.

The hour was 4:37 AM but the alleyway had more animals than I thought possible at this hour. Turning around to take another route seemed like a good idea but that would take too long. I wanted to get to the station as quickly as I could. Accordingly, I picked up the pace and sped past many animals that were sitting on doorsteps. Koalas, ferrets, and gophers were among some of them.

It was still dark out, most couldn't see me, but that didn't stop them from leaning over to observe. Even without a clear view, they could tell something was off. The way I walked, the sounds I made, and even my shadow silhouette didn't fit.

Nevertheless, I pressed onward and felt determined to reach the end of the backstreet. After three minutes of uncomfortable stares from two animals, I arrived at my destination.

The letters 'POLICE' came into full view and I was back to where it all started. 

Nothing had changed, the main lights at the ZPD were still off, and not a single soul was in sight. I crept my way past a series of parked police cruisers, bikes, motorcycles, and a... _three-wheeled police-themed tike._ Not only was it tiny but it would've been an embarrassing vehicle to drive.

As I exited the parking lot, I found myself at the base of the building. I scooted along the sandstone wall until I reached a familiar place. I recognized it because shattered glass particles were all over the pavement. The crushed red van was still there and I knew this was where I landed after jumping out the window.

I arched my neck and saw the broken window panel three stories up. With no ladder nearby, I deployed my nano blades and climbed my way to the third floor. Upon reaching the base of the window, I pulled myself into the ZPD station and I was now standing in that same corridor. Across the hallway, there was a yellow tape that read ' _Police Line: Do not cross'_ which clearly indicated they were aware of my escape. Not a surprise.

Now it was 5:07 AM. Three-point-five hours had passed since I escaped the ZPD prison. _Good to be back_ , I supposed.

I walked to the end of the corridor, took a couple of turns and my prison cell was still open. The cougar warden was long gone so someone must've rescued him while I was out and about. If he were still there, I would've untied him but all I could do now was sit back in my prison cell. 

And that's what I did. I walked inside, closed the door behind me, and sat on my bed. Just like that, I was back at the ZPD and they probably didn't know that I came back.

 _My, what an eventful early morning._ To summarize _,_ I jumped out the window, landed on a car, traveled the streets towards the fire, extracted a bunch of children, survived a collapsed building, encountered a hostage situation with razorbacks, rescued a young jackal, had a food market culture shock, got a new cloak, went swimming in the river, sneaked my way through the backstreets, and climbed into the same window that I jumped out of.

Feeling somewhat relieved to be back, I pulled off my helmet and that's when I was met with a large splash of water. It must've got trapped in my helmet while I swam in the river but now my bed was completely soaked. I simply rolled my eyes and placed the helmet on my side.

However, I saw a blinking blue light. I placed the helmet back on and found out that I had over seventeen missed calls. Eight of which were from Judy, seven from Nick, and two from... _Jay Howel._ He must've also known that I had escaped. Perhaps Judy called him as well since he also had my dial code number.

Aside from missed phone calls, there were also quite a few unread messages. Twenty-seven of them. The syntax was a bit scrabbled - it didn't translate well from their phones to my HUD - but I was able to decipher eleven messages. The other sixteen didn't fully process.

**INBOX (27)**

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Judy:** _Where are you???_

**Judy:** _Call me now!_

**Judy:** _Come back! This is not the way!_

**Judy:** _Answer please!_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Cody:** _sup_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Jay:** _Cherry, please respond!_

**Judy:** _Why did you do this?!_

**Nick:** _Couldn't have waited two months? lol_

**Judy:** _Call me ASAP!_

**Nick:** _Whatcha up to?_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Hazel:** _Hi! Jude is looking for you... Might wanna answer_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

**Unidentified Subject:** _***Error 404***  
_

_**Page (1/1)** _

Looks like Nick, Judy, Hazel, Jay, and even Cody texted me. I would've been happy to respond to all of them individually but I decided to put them all on a group text.

 **Cherry:** _Hello._

It didn't take long before my helmet vibrated again. I got a new message from the bunny.

 **Judy:** _?_

 **Judy:** _Where are you??_

I adjusted the coding and compiled a new message in response. Thus, I sent a simple answer.

 **Cherry:** _ZPD_

There was a pause, I waited for a response, and the helmet vibrated again. More inbound messages.

**Judy:** _What???_

**Nick:** _Ha! I knew it!_

**Judy:** _We're coming right now!_

Well, that was interesting. I supposed the only thing I could do was await my next punishment. The fox and bunny were on their way and they'd be here shortly. Nevertheless, I didn't regret my actions. I did what I had to do.

Consequently, I laid on my head and stretched my legs. Might as well get some decent rest before the animal officers show up. My arm still throbbed from earlier but I opened and closed my fist to circulate the blood. 

My, I could still feel that rusty nail impaling my arm. I sure wasn't ready for such pain but I'm glad it was over. All I could do now was recover. It was my shooting arm that got injured so it already placed me at a disadvantage. Regardless, I promised that coyote interrogator to never use guns again. 

Five minutes of silence passed and I could hear someone fiddling with the keys. Multiple overwrought voices echoed. Whoever it was, they were in a hurry to get into the cellblock.

"ZPD! Freeze!" the tiger officer pointed his pistol.

Two wolf officers entered. "Paws where we can see them!"

I placed both hands behind my neck.

Officer Francine also entered, followed by the familiar fox and bunny.

"Here's right here!" the elephant called while opening the cell door.

Judy entered, eyes wide open. _"Cherry? You came back?_ "

"I told you, Carrots," Nick smirked from behind. "He missed us already."

She sighed in relief. "We've been looking seven ways to Sunday for you! Where... Where have you been?"

I put my arms down and rested on my knees. "It's a long story."

Despite her size, she boldly approached me to stand face-to-face. "And I want to know what happened," she said sternly. "You've got _a ton_ of explaining to do."

"That's right, buddy. Every word, every detail." the fox added. "Dot every comma."

From there on, everything was like a roller coaster. The police were all over me for the rest of the morning. Many questions were asked, I did the best I could to provide reasonable answers, but they kept shifting me from one room to the next. 

I even ended up having to apologize to the cougar warden numerous times due to the tremendous fright I caused him earlier. In my defense, I never actually hurt him. I simply disarmed him, tied him up, and left him alone until I got back to the ZPD. He wasn't particularly in a jovial mood but he should've at least been grateful to be alive. I only sliced his pistol in half, tripped him, but that was it. No harm was done.

The hour was 6:17 AM and the questions kept coming. The animal officers were somewhat fearful of me but I could tell they appreciated my cooperation. However, they took advantage of it and juggled me around. Judy and Nick tried to keep things under control but there was only so much that a little rabbit and fox could do.

Eventually, I was back in Chief Bogo's office. Same seats, same places, but more security officers guarding the exit. By now, they should've known two things. First, they couldn't ever contain me. Second, I had no desire to harm them.

"This is unprecedented. _Absolutely unacceptable._ I sentenced you to three months. _Three months to remain in confinement!"_ the buffalo glared. "That was the deal! And you broke it!"

The room fell silent and I stared into the ground.

 _"Now..."_ he continued. "...what kind of criminal _breaks_ out of prison, scurries the city, only to _intentionally_ fall right back into the paws of his captors?"

All eyes were on me. No one spoke a word and they waited for a response. My arm throbbed again, I began to feel lightheaded, so I decided to make a request.

"Can I have some water, please?"

The buffalo raised an eyebrow. He must've thought that was random but he still gave Officer Wulfric the signal. Twenty seconds later, he found some water. The wolf passed it to Fangmeyer who passed it to Nick who passed it to Judy who then passed it to me. _That was more like it._

I tried to twist off the plastic cap but my arm was feeling sore again. Not wanting to show I was in pain, I simply held the plastic bottle in the other arm and popped the cap off with my thumb. I then took a hydrating swig.

"Tell me... why did you escape?" the Chief inquired. "Why did you break out of the ZPD?"

I took another sip and gazed downward. "I did what I had to, Chief. There was distress on the horizon... so I responded."

He waited for me to continue. I took another sip and shook my head in mild frustration. "You don't know what I've been through."

Everyone in the room quietly looked at each other. It was a tense moment but that didn't surprise me.

"I'm well aware of what you've done this morning." the chief said. "We saw the evidence and it all points to you," he put on his reading glasses. "You rescued cubs from an orphanage fire, prevented a local kidnapping, and stopped a notorious gang in their tracks."

He opened up another folder on his desk and flipped through some pages. 

"When we arrived at the scene," he continued, "your involvement was... obvious, I should say. Excessive damage in both the property and the suspects. We knew you were there and we had multiple key witnesses attest to your honorary actions." the buffalo removed his glasses. "But regardless of what you've done, my suspicions for you remain. Not only do I question your judgment but I also question your true motives."

I turned my head over to Judy who appeared to be in deep thought and then I turned my head over to Nick who held a paw under his chin. The rest of the officers were simply staring down at the floor.

The buffalo sighed begrudgingly. "And I don't know what to do with you, Mr. Cheribim. I could lengthen your sentence, transfer you over to the ZBI, or I could relocate you to a more sophisticated prison," he said while taking a moment for himself to think. " But I don't know what good that would do," he admitted. "For all I know, you'd perceive another escape route and we'd be back in this tortuous cycle again."

 _He had a point._ While I wasn't overly fond of his projected plans, I knew that one of them would inevitably fall upon me. 

For the longest time, we all continued sitting there in the office, waiting for the Chief to come up with something. To pass the time, I kept taking sips of water to clear my head.

Just then, Nick raised his paw. "Chief, I think I have a better idea."

The buffalo sighed. "And what is that, Wilde?"

The fox gave a confident smile. "Let him join the ZPD."

Upon hearing this, I choked on the water.


	35. Chapter 35:  A New Hustle, Part l

The Chief's eyes shot wide in disbelief.

So did mine.

Everyone else in the room stared agape at the fox. _Did he really suggest that I join the ZPD?_ None of us could believe it.

After gagging on water, the helmet's interior was now completely soaked. My face couldn't be wiped dry lest everyone would see. Regardless, all eyes were more focused on the fox.

"What?" he shrugged, showing that he wasn't joking. "We might as well."

 _"Are you out of your mind, Wilde?"_ the buffalo irritably grunted. "Why on Earth would we do that?"

"Well, here's the thing, Chief." the fox stood up from his chair. "As much of an Astro-nut our friend here is, he woke up bright and early, leaped from a three-story window, ran into a raging fire, and saved over a dozen little kiddos - oh, and two firefighters. Isn't that right?"

The buffalo sighed. _"Yes_ , but-"

"And let's not forget that he thwarted those same razor-bums who happened to be priority number one on last week's roll call assignments," the fox continued. "Do you remember that? Yeah, we almost lost track of them, and lookie what happened. He unwittingly took care of them. I don't know about you Chief but I'd say it's a no-brainer. Let him join."

He huffed. "That is absolutely preposterous! I will not allow it!"

"I'm with the Chief on that one." I agreed.

"Finally, at least _some_ trace of common sense." the buffalo gave me an approving, yet dubious, glance for the first time. He then turned to the rabbit. "Hopps, what do you make of all this?"

All eyes were on her.

Judy placed a paw under her chin and thought for a minute. "Sir, as much as I understand your concerns, my partner might not be as crazy as he sounds."

The buffalo and I looked at her incredulously.

She continued. "After all, Cherry has demonstrated bravery - which is one of the three core fundamentals upheld by the ZPD."

"And what about integrity and trust?" the buffalo grunted. "Clearly, he hasn't demonstrated any of those."

"We'll work on that," the fox remarked. "We all have to start somewhere, don't we?. And besides, that's what the police academy's for."

 _Academy?_ I questioned. Clearly, this fox has lost his marbles and Judy was following suit. There was no way this would work. Even the Chief could see that.

As the three animals went back and forth, I could only sit there and shake my head. Everything was moving too fast and it all seemed so absurd. It'd be like working in a zoo governed by animals who tell you what to do and how to do it. Perhaps it'd work in a world like Narnia but Zootopia would be a different story.

The buffalo slammed the case file in exasperation. "Wilde, Hopps, we're not having this conversation."

Nick stood up from his chair. "Why not Chief? How else do you plan on keeping our interdimensional friend here in check? Obviously, traditional confinement doesn't work for him."

"My partner's got a point, sir." the bunny stood up alongside the fox. "Even if Cherry served his three months, we still need to come up with a better long-term solution for him."

The Cheif folded his arms. "And that is?"

"He needs an opportunity to contribute to society" she explained. "Something to keep him busy and productive while he's in Zootopia."

"Bingo!" The fox snapped his fingers. "Like joining the ZPD."

Judy shot him a look. "Nick, we have to let him choose."

His face turned mildly disappointed. "C'mon Carrots, he's got the muscle mass, the height... maybe some intelligence in there too we could benefit from," Nick explained while tapping my helmet. "What better place for him to work than the ZPD?"

Judy shook her head. "In the end, it's Cherry's decision. The ZPD can be a great option...but it's all up to him."

At first, the fox didn't seem satisfied. But he eventually shrugged in understanding and folded his arms. That's when the room turned quiet again while we all exchanged glances. We were all thinking about how things would move forward.

Meanwhile, my appreciation for Judy grew. She stood up for me and made my future trajectory in Zootopia feel less forced. Never had I seriously considered an occupation on a foreign planet but the time had finally come.

"Let's hear what he has to say," the buffalo suggested.

All eyes were now on me. Many ideas came to mind but I couldn't select what to say.

 _What would I do if I were me?_ My past life was filled with plenty of professions - most of which were in the military field. The Intergalactic Stratocracy never had too many soldiers for conquering rebellious planetary colonies, protecting the high order, or securing ultra-rare elements. However, Zootopia wasn't at war and had no need for soldiers. Between my phaser rounds and their tranquilizer darts, trying to be a soldier in this world would be overkill.

Alternatively, my previous world commissioned me as a scientific researcher for time travel. All the complex formulas and tools were stored in my suit's hard drive. Surely they could be useful for the animals of Zootopia. With a bit of decryption, they'd be readily available on demand.

However, I had my doubts.

First, the formulas were highly sophisticated and difficult to explain to the uninitiated. They went into the 4th dimension and beyond.

Second, they required highly advanced machinery to fully implement them. Otherwise, they'd only be theoretical and not applicable. Many of our machines were built from precious resources extracted from other worlds outside of Earth-77.

Finally, they were too dangerous. The formulas that powered our cities, energized our military suits and fueled time travel was the same formulas that led to our destruction. Nuclear fusion, anti-matter bombs, singularities, and cold fusion - to name a few - were all commodities that Zootopia wasn't ready for.

More ideas circulated the mind until they were interrupted by the grunt of a buffalo. "What's taking him so long to respond?" he asked.

I realized that I was lost in deep thought longer than I should have. Everyone was still waiting for me.

"Hang in there, Chief." the fox half-smirked. "He does that."

The buffalo sighed. "Well then, he better respond now or I'll make a decision for him."

Now was my chance to respond. One position came to mind that related to previous experiences from the future.

"Chief, I'd like to become a data scientist," I said.

Everyone in the room tilted heads at each other. Given they were cops, I doubted they knew the gist of it.

The buffalo leaned forward with furrowed eyebrows. _"What?_ _A data scientist?"_

I nodded.

It was the most ideal option. No more punching enemies. Just punching numbers and formulas. The position - while stressful amidst all the fiery competition - was one of the safest careers in my world. Plus, it paid well. Surely, I'd have the advantage in Zootopia if I came from the future.

But the fox chuckled. "Ha! That sounds boring."

I gave him a hasty glare. "No, it isn't."

"Why do you want to become a data scientist?" the buffalo inquired.

"That's what I'd like to know too." Nick wondered.

"He worked as a data scientist in his old world," Judy answered. "He told me all about it in Bunnyburrows and I actually found it very interesting."

The fox rolled his eyes. "Oh boy..."

The Chief gave a suspicious stare. "Is that so?"

"Indeed," I responded. "While I cannot impart all my knowledge, I believe my experience could benefit Zootopia."

The other animal officers glanced back and forth at each other, seemingly intrigued by my career choice. But the fox didn't seem interested one bit. He simply shook his furry head and silently chuckled. _I didn't care what he thought._

Meanwhile, Chief Bogo - with his glasses on - browsed his computer monitor, most likely taking actions to help me secure my desired role in Zootopia. If it all worked out, then I'd have a way to make a living in this new world while also keeping my knowledge exercised so that I wouldn't forget it. Even though I've only been in Zootopia for over a month, not using my data science knowledge has taken a toll on me.

In my world, I applied it daily to keep my mind fresh. Now I felt a bit rusty. But with a new position in this animal world, I had a feeling that everything would be easier and more relaxed. After all, I wouldn't be dealing with petabytes of data regarding time travel anymore. If anything, they'd have me deal with terabytes of worldly data at most.

"So you want to become a data scientist then." the Chief verified. "Is that correct?"

I gave a firm nod, looking forward to the opportunity.

The buffalo then tended to his screen one more time. Perhaps to make the final arrangements.

Unexpectedly, he removed his glasses and sighed. "I'm afraid not."

My body leaned forward, hoping I misheard him. _"What?"_

"You don't meet the requirements."

My head turned to Judy and then back at the Chief. My fists were clenched.

"Well, that's a bummer..." the fox quietly mocked in the background.

If no one else was present in the room, then I probably would've thrown my chair at him. Regardless, I had to remain calm.

Trying to control my mild frustration, I slowly exhaled. "What makes you _think_ I don't meet the requirements?"

The buffalo grunted. "Given the nature of the job, you must prove your competence and build public trust. This is crucial as you'd be dealing with sensitive information as a non-citizen."

_I figured as much._

"In other words," He read from the screen. "To become a data scientist in Zootopia, you must have a clean record for a trailing four months, a minimum of 900 hours of professional work experience within the city, and an active security clearance." he finished reading. "And that's for the ZPD. Everywhere else will have the same requirements or more."

"Great," I sighed. "That would take..." I held out my fingers and did a quick calculation. Assuming it was forty hours per week. "...over 5.6 months to complete."

The room went quiet for a moment. Just then, the rabbit's ears sprang up.

"Don't worry, Cherry. We'll get you there!" she said with encouragement. "It'll go by fast."

 _Maybe she was right?_ Part of me thought that my extraterrestrial status would override those requirements. But then again, that same status could've added more. In this case, the rules were the same for everyone so I had to consider that lucky to some extent.

"But until then..." Nick added with a smile. "...We'd be thrilled to have you on the force. What do you say, buddy?"

The throbbing arm wasn't helping. The rusty nail wound from earlier reminded me of what I'd be getting myself into. Hence, a data science position would've kept me off the streets. I thought about saying no but there wasn't anywhere else to go. At this point, I had become somewhat acquainted with the ZPD and my gut told me they were the ideal place to be.

As a former soldier from the human world, becoming a police officer in an animal world was a bit bizarre. Perhaps laughable. But... _it is what it is_. If 900 hours as a ZPD officer is what it took to become a ZPD data scientist, then it might be worth it. Life wasn't free so we had to work at it.

Thus, with a sigh, I responded, "Fine... I'll join the ZPD."

"Yes!" the bunny was stoked.

"Attaboy, that's the spirit!" the fox cheered, patting my shoulder.

But the buffalo sat behind his desk and continued to give an unimpressed glare. Upon noticing this, Judy's excitement mellowed out.

"Are you okay with that, Chief?" she carefully asked.

He didn't respond. As a sign of dominance, he exhaled through his nostrils. After a few seconds passed, he turned his attention to the other officers standing in the back. "Wulfric, Fangmeyer, what are your thoughts?"

They both looked at each other and nodded.

The wolf then took a step forward. "Honestly sir, I find it prudent. I don't want to arrest him again."

"And you, Fangmeyer?"

"I'm not too fond of the idea," the tiger admitted. "But if Hopps and Wilde are in, then so am I."

Once again, I marveled that most of the ZPD officers would look up to the fox-bunny duo - metaphorically speaking. But above all, I marveled that those two little critters would give me a chance.

After what felt like minutes, the Chief begrudgingly sighed, looked to everyone in the room. I had a feeling he would say 'no' and oppose the fox's crazy idea.

A tense moment passed before he turned to me. His glare was as sharp as a knife.

 _"Don't make me regret this,"_ he said with a stern tone. "But it's settled for now. Mr. Cheribim, you will be sent off to the Zootopia Police Academy first thing tomorrow morning."

A wave of relief swept over me. The rest of the officers nodded in satisfaction.

The buffalo gathered up the forms from his desk. "Hopps, Wilde, I'm assigning you both as escorts. Help Mr. Cheribim fill out an application along with these associated documents." he passed the file to Nick. "As for the rest of you, we meet in the bullpen at 0900."

The officers slowly filed their way out of the room, one-by-one, and Judy gestured me to come along. _These next few months will be interesting._ But before I could step through the doorframe, I heard the buffalo gruffly clear his throat.

"By the way, Mr. Cheribim," he called while standing up.

I turned around to face him.

He gave another menacing stare and pointed. "Your first paycheck is going towards reparations. Your first two that is."

At first, I didn't know what he was talking about. But I remembered the broken window from the third floor, the sliced padlock from the prison cell, and a few other things.

"Either the pay's bad or the damage is," I said with sarcasm.

The buffalo didn't find it humorous. If anything, it made him more irritated. Not a good way to start. That fox was already having a bad influence on me.

Hence, I gave the Chief a thumbs up and slowly backed away. "Of course, sir... I wouldn't suggest otherwise."

My body turned to exit the room but my left shoulder skidded the doorframe, scraping off some of the paint. _What a klutz I was._ The buffalo facepalmed and the fox-bunny duo whimsically awaited me outside.

We exited the office together and we all felt free again. It was the same feeling one got after taking a college test. Whether or not you pass or fail, it always felt refreshing to step out and take a breather.

On the ceiling above us, there was a large glass dome window with a unique metal frame that had a web-like design to it. The early morning sky had a livid color but no sunlight had bled through the top yet. Thus, the ZPD building was still illuminated by artificial lighting until the natural sunlight would take over in the next few hours.

From the upper floor balcony, we overlooked the entire ZPD lobby as we moved along the banister with a prairie grass design. We began our descent down a flight of granite stairs, I followed the bunny-fox duo and tried to keep up with their energetic pace. It was evident that they were both looking forward to the day, especially Judy.

"Alright," the fox clapped his paws together. "Now that we took care of business, who's hungry?"

"Nick, It's _not even_ close to lunchtime yet." Judy rolled her eyes. "And besides, you just had two muffins."

"They were small ones, Carrots." Nick made a tiny gesture. "You think that's gonna fill me up?

"You're looking pretty full around the middle," Judy playfully poked the fox's gut, causing him to stoop over. "Ha! You see?"

"Whoa, whoa, easy on the abs, fluff," he held his arms out. "I'm still sore from all those crunches, you know."

"The only thing you're crunching is potato chips and you know it!"

"C'mon, Cherry. Help me out, will ya?" he graciously begged. "You must be hungry after prowling the streets all morning."

For once, I agreed with the fox. My appetite had significantly increased since the blood loss from earlier. "Sustenance would do me good, actually," I said to both of them. "If we have the time."

"Boom, that's what I like to hear," the fox approved.

We both looked at Judy. She pulled out her phone to check the time. "I suppose we could grab a quick bite. There's a Hucklebear Diner right around the corner."

"I was thinking the same thing, Carrots. Great minds think alike."

"I'll pay you back after the first paycheck." I offered.

"You mean the third paycheck," Nick winked.

"Right..."

Judy waved her paw. "Don't worry Cherry, we got you covered."

Nick folded his arms. "Of course, by 'we' you mean 'you'. Right?"

"Oh, look who's being so generous today." Judy grinned.

"Hey, I helped him get the job. I'd say that's pretty generous enough."

"Speaking of which, we still need to fill out Cherry's paperwork first."

"We can do it at the breakfast place." Nick insisted. "Let's beat the morning rush while we're at it."

Judy thought for a moment. "Actually, Nick, why don't you go run and grab us a table? Cherry and I will get the paperwork and meet you there."

"Don't keep me waiting too long, fluff. I can only resist the smell of blueberry waffles for so long."

"We'll be quick!" Judy said with a smirk. "Until then, don't let the pancakes rise faster than your tummy!."

After giving her a wink, the fox proudly marched through the double doors, headed outside, and disappeared from view. Judy beckoned me to follow her across the lobby and that's what I did.

The central front desk was vacant, the polished flooring echoed with each step, and memories from the previous month began to pour in. The trophy case the rhino rammed me into had been replaced, the laser impact hole in the ceiling had been painted over, the punched crater in the floor had been filled with polished mortar, and many other things were also repaired.

Like a dented car, the ZPD successfully removed the obvious defects. Even though the miniature creases were still present, they were hardly noticeable anymore. If only the same could be said of that parked van beneath the third story window I smashed earlier.

Thankfully, property damage could be replaced and I could make amends. Even though it all happened a while ago, I still felt shame. The animal officers had healed from their physical wounds but now I'd be working alongside them. _How would they accept that?_ Ignoring movies or novels, there's never been a recorded time in history when a human would unite with an animal police force.

As we passed through a series of interconnected hallways containing decorative wooden panels, we took a sharp turn and the ground changed into an olive-colored carpet. The bunny led us directly into a spacious room filled with numerous office cubicles that were organized into an array.

All of them were empty - not a soul in sight at this early hour of the day - but many individual desktops within the officer's cubicles were uniquely decorated. Some better than others. A few were laden with styrofoam coffee mugs and phone chargers while others had sports memorabilia - _soccer, of course_ \- and celebrity calendars.

Furthermore, I saw dumbells, snowglobes, stacks of paperwork, a box of donuts, and even a ball of yarn - for whatever reason. I couldn't help but admire the personality this place had and it gave me a sneak-peek perspective on what these officers were like outside of work. Though the ZPD must've gotten busy during peak seasons, that didn't stop these animals from enjoying themselves during downtime.

However, out of the many things I saw, something stood out above the rest.

Most of the officers had photographs of family, friends, and relatives upon their desks. It served as a reminder of why they were here and who they were doing it for. Overall, it gave the entire atmosphere a greater purpose. To serve and protect those they deeply cared about.

In my world, the Stratocracy wasn't anything like that. We didn't have close family or friends to look after. Just fellow soldiers in identical armor whom we only called brethren because it was all we had.

In the end, we only fought to further our spread across the stars. We conquered worlds, traveled dimensions, cheated death during multiple mass extinction events, but we never had a true purpose.

Granted, it wasn't our fault. The Stratocracy had good soldiers but they had no other choice. Most of us were pre-programmed to follow orders and the corrupt individuals above us had all the keys. I was certain that humanity would've lasted much longer if we had loved ones to protect instead of simply trying to survive in an unforgiving universe. Otherwise, if we would've died sooner anyway, then at least a righteous death was its own fair reward.

Shaking my tangent thoughts, the rabbit officer led the way into her office cubicle. It was cleaner than the rest, more organized, and had all the same family pictures from Bunnyburrows. Hazel, Cotton, Donovan, Bonnie, and Stu were all there. Including the other 277 family members.

Judy sat down in her rolling chair and cheerfully typed away at the computer. I figured we'd quickly grab the documents and get out of here so I stood at the entrance and leaned on the cubicle wall.

"Please, have a seat." she gestured, returning to her computer.

While I heard the pink printer going, I found a small cushion stool and slowly sat down in the cubicle corner. It was quite a small seat but comfortable nonetheless.

As she stapled the printed documents together, I leaned forward onto my knees and reminisced.

"We're very excited to have you Cherry!" she expressed. "I almost can't believe this is happening."

"Neither can I."

She began typing again. "Are you nervous?"

"Not really," I answered until I felt minor pain in my arm, reminding me of the encounter with the razorbacks. "Well, maybe a little bit."

"That's completely normal. I'd be worried if you weren't," she said before turning around in her rolling chair to face me. "The ZPD's a hard job, it really can be. But it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. Nick and I both love it and we'll teach you everything you need to know."

I nodded. "That'd be great."

We both sat in brief silence.

"So..." she began, "...what makes you want to join the ZPD?"

I cocked my head to the side a bit and I thought for a moment.

"Aside from wanting to become... _what was it?_ " she tried to remember.

"A data scientist." I reminded.

"...a _data scientist,_ " she continued. "...and my partner pressuring you?"

Nothing came to mind. All I really cared for was to make a living on this foreign planet. Nothing more. They had their own rules so all I was doing was going through the motions. I would've been happy to skip the step of becoming an officer if I could've just become a data scientist for Zootopia from the get-go. However, that wasn't an option.

Hence, I sat on the edge of the seat, not having much to say. Even though she was only a little bunny, I felt the pressure of giving a better answer. There was none to give and she knew it.

She took a deep breath, sat up straight, and moved her chair closer. Her voice was serious. "Cherry, _why_ do you want to join the ZPD?"

The cubicle grew quiet.

My mind ached, I fidgeted with my gauntlets. "Well... I...."

She stood up. "Take off your helmet,"

Words choked in my mouth. "I beg your pardon?"

The bunny leaned forward. "Take off the helmet, look me in the eyes, and tell me."

She folded her arms and patiently waited. I couldn't believe it. It's been over a month since she last saw me without it. No matter, I had to do as she requested mostly out of professional courtesy.

Therefore, with a bit of hesitation, I pulled off the headgear and set it on the floor. It initially felt uncomfortable but I pushed through. My exposed head immediately met the gentle breeze from the air conditioner above us and I felt somewhat vulnerable. Regardless, no one else was in the office area.

Her purple eyes met with my blue eyes in a way that I wasn't used to. Now she could see every movement and expression that was previously hidden. In a way, the helmet gave me confidence when interacting with other beings. It masked my emotions and gave a sense of power over those I gazed upon. But not anymore. At least, not with this bunny.

"There, that's much better! See?" she smiled, her voice calmer and quieter. "Now, why do you want to join the ZPD?

I placed a gauntlet to my chin and pondered. _Why did I want to join the ZPD?_ A few intentions came to mind but they were in dire need of revampment.

After a couple of seconds, I lowered my gauntlet and spoke. "Well, I... I've made many mistakes in my previous world, Judy. Most of which, I still reflect upon to this day." My eyes lowered to the ground before refocusing back to Judy. "But now, I just want to set things right. Make things better for everyone."

She reverently crossed her paws on her lap. "And Cherry... how do you think the ZPD can help you in that regard?"

I answered. "As a former soldier, I fought for peace. Back when I had the chance. It was during the last days of my species. Do you remember when I told you about that?"

The bunny nodded, her eyes downcast. "Yes, I do remember."

My face became desolate. "Those days were heart-wrenching. I took a psychic blow and nearly gave up on living."

As I struggled to speak, Judy patiently sat there and listened. Her vibrant orbs had a soothing effect, enabling me to continue.

"But the day we went to Bunnyburrow forest, you gave me hope, Judy. You reawakened my purpose." A small affiliative smile then filled my face. "Now, I realize, the war's over. It's all in the past... and here we are now. You guys are protectors of peace and that's what I want to do. _Help protect it._ And I feel like this opportunity with the ZPD could make me whole again."

Upon saying this, Officer Hopps gazed and pondered. Nearly a minute passed and a gentle smile came to her face. "You know, Cherry, you actually look better without the helmet," she warmly commended. "It's nice to see your real face again."

Even though I disagreed, I couldn't help but give a light chuckle. "Thanks, Judy."

While reaching for the helmet, she placed a paw on my forearm. "You don't have to wear it."

She got me thinking. Indeed, the fresh air felt nice and cleared my head. Perhaps she was right.

But I solemnly nodded, scratched the bridge of my nose, and proceeded in placing the helmet back on. "I know."

Now I felt secure again. No one saw anything.

"Alrighty, then." she cleared her throat. "Well, I think you'll be a great fit for the ZPD. We're excited to have you!" she turned around to grab the stack of papers. "Now that we've got what we need, let's hop out of here and grab a yummy breakfast!"

 _Agreed_. Both of our stomachs were growling. The rabbit eagerly stood up, I followed, and we promptly exited the cubicle. Weaving our way through the same maze of hallways, we eventually returned to the main lobby.

From a distance, a few animal officers were just arriving for their early morning shifts. They caught glimpse of us, Judy gave them a friendly wave, and they vigilantly waved back. Chances were, they knew what I did a few hours ago. Regardless, they tended to their normal routine while we passed through the double doors of the main entrance.

It was still early morning, barely much light outside, but the sun would soon rise over the exotic skyscrapers at any minute now. The streets remained somewhat calm as they were before. But I noticed city activity gradually picking up at the far end of Savanna Plaza. Luckily, the breakfast diner was situated on a block corner, just across the street from the ZPD, so we headed straight over.

The place was called HUCKLEBEAR DINER according to the bright rectangular sign posted next to the entrance. Above it, was the figure of a bear in chef's clothes who seemingly appeared to be juggling pancakes. Approaching the entrance, I would've held the door open for Judy but she already beat me to it. As she kindly held the door open, I gave her a 'thank you' gesture and we both entered the diner. I had to duck a little bit but the ceiling was tall enough once inside.

Upon stepping inside, we were both blasted with the delicious scent of pancakes, eggs, garlic toast, and French toast - whatever they called it here. Plus, a relaxing tune of instrumental music softly playing in the background. There was a wooden podium in front of us with a young waiter texting from behind. Surprisingly, he wasn't a bear but a dear who wasn't on the menu.

"Hi! Welcome to Hucklebear Diner! You're here early!" he happily greeted.

Judy smiled. "It's never too early for a hearty breakfast!"

"Right you are officer! You've come to the right place! Now, how many of you today?"

"It'll be three of us today! Me, my partner, and my tall friend here." she gestured.

The deer's eyes shot wide as he nervously looked up. I gave a small wave.

"Oh...um... _Him?_ He's with _you?"_

She nodded. "Yep!"

"Ah...okay, um... right this way!" he hesitantly pointed with his hoove.

We followed the deer through the diner and he led us towards the back. There were no patrons at this early hour, we practically had it to ourselves, and it didn't take long until we spotted the only other animal patron who'd be joining us. The red fox in a blue uniform.

While he casually sat and tapped away at his phone, his ear twitched as we took our seats across from him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Cherry and Carrots!" he greeted. "Despite your names, too bad you both aren't food cause I'm starving. What took ya so long?"

"Oh, please, Slick," Judy teased. "You're one to talk about punctuality. Besides, we were only gone for like seven minutes."

"That's too long, fluff." he yawned. "But I guess I'll forgive you this one time...if you pay for my entree."

"Ha! Nice try, but no." she grinned. "You can pay for yours while I help pay for Cherry's."

Nick put his arms behind his head. "Well, isn't he the lucky one?"

After he said that, my injured forearm began to pulsate. "You better believe it."

We all got comfortable in our seats, Judy and Nick continued teasing each other, and Nick entertained us nonstop with online news articles that he found humorous. Despite it being early, he wouldn't keep his mouth shut.

The deer waiter came over, placed cold glasses of water upon the table, and opened up his notebook.

"Hello again!" he greeted. "Can I get you guys anything else to drink?"

"Coffee, please!" Judy and Nick said in unison.

"And for you...sir?" he asked me rather cautiously.

"Dihydrogen Monoxide."

His brows furrowed. "I'm...I'm sorry?"

"Water."

The fox leaned across the table. "No coffee for you, Cherry? Carrots is paying."

I shook my head. "No thanks. When I drink coffee, I can't sleep."

"I'm the opposite," he gestured to himself. "When I'm asleep, I can't drink coffee."

I let out a sigh. Judy facepalmed and the waiter laughed. As we glanced at our menus, I couldn't help but feel mildly confused at the organized selection. There were two categories - vegetables and meats - and they were supposedly organized based on the patron's diet. I was previously lost in the city of Zootopia but now I was lost in one of their menus. The names were unlike those from my world and the choices weren't the same.

Common breakfast food items that I dearly enjoyed - ham, sausage, steak, and bacon - were nowhere to be seen on the menu. Eggs, bread, waffles, and cereal were all there - those I was familiar with - but everything else both looked and sounded foreign.

For some listed items, I had to turn to Judy for extra guidance. She was kind enough to thoroughly explain and Nick provided his additional insight as well.

In the end, I was too grossed out by the artificial meat items that I ultimately decided to just stick with hash browns and eggs. There was no way I'd be eating bugs, no matter how much artificial flavoring was added. Nick tried to convince me but I couldn't trust him.

Thus, we ordered, we chatted, and it didn't take long before the young deer returned with our food items. For how small and tooth-picky his arms were, I was impressed that he could balance three plates on one side without dropping them.

"There you go!" he gently set the food on our table. "Hope you guys enjoy! Let me know if you need anything!"

"Thank you very much!" The bunny said politely.

The deer happily bowed his head, gave me a nervous glance, and went on his way.

Now it was finally time to indulge in the pleasures of a morning meal to start off the day. Everything smelled good, it was steamy, and it all looked so inviting. My mouth was feeling a bit dry so I decided to start off with a quick sip of water and reached for the glass.

As I took a sip, I noticed that I couldn't even taste the water. Were my tastebuds that bad? But water in general didn't have a taste. Just a wet texture and that was it. However, I didn't even feel the watery texture at all.

While taking further sips, Judy and Nick both went wide-eyed. Nick had food in his mouth but he struggled to hold in the laughter. What was he smirking about? Judy then passed me a napkin but I was unsure why.

But after looking down at my torso, I saw that it was completely soaked. Water dripped from the seat of my chair. I quickly realized that the drink failed to enter the permeable layer of my helmet near the mouthpiece.

The fox burst out in laughter. "Whoa, buddy, we're here to _eat._ Not _bathe_ ourselves."

"You alright, Cherry?" The bunny asked.

"I don't understand..." I expressed disbelief.

"Don't understand what? How to drink?" the fox supposed.

 _What was going on?_ I thought to myself. Now my helmet filters weren't working anymore. How was I supposed to drink with the helmet on?

I attempted to pick up a square piece of hashbrown but that also failed to enter my helmet's permeable layer. For some reason, the nanoparticles were glitching and weren't allowing the passage of food.

In a heartbeat, I came up with an excuse. "I'm fine, It's just...I must be tired, is all."

Judy and Nick both looked at each other. They weren't buying it.

Judy then turned to me. "You can take your helmet off."

 _"What?"_ I hoped she was joking.

"You'll need your strength for the day," she said.

"Not with him," I pointed at the fox. "No. Absolutely not."

A big smirk came to Nick. He looked at Judy and then at me. He thought today would be the day. He was sorely mistaken.

"Just take off the helmet." Judy pleaded.

"I'd rather starve."

"Take it off, my friend," Nick said with a relaxed tone. "There's no one else here."

"I will never-"

"Please, take it off," Judy urged. "You don't want to waste food, do you?"

"But-"

"You heard her." the fox said.

My blood was starting to boil, I considered storming out. The two furry officers had me stuck in a minor predicament. They patiently waited, my body begged for nutrients, I wanted privacy, but not all demands could be met.

"Oh, for fox sake..." I murmured.

Begrudgingly, I gripped both sides of the helmet and pulled it off. After firmly placing it on the empty seat next to me, I began to dig into the hashbrowns, pretending nothing happened.

Judy was content to see me partake of the breakfast. But Nick's mouth hung wide open.

It's as if he were a kid who just witnessed an amazing magic trick. The fox swiftly looked back and forth between me and Judy and then back at me again. She only smiled and ate her breakfast.

"Oh my God! Carrots! Are you _seeing_ what I'm _seeing?"_ he gasped. "Is that _really_ our friend Cherry?"

His curious green eyes were fixated on my glaring blue eyes.

Nick laughed triumphantly. "Wow, Carrots, he actually fell for it! I didn't think he would ever take it off."

The bunny said nothing, grinned, and took a sip of coffee. I felt violated. The fox wouldn't stop staring.

"Cherry-buddy, I must say, you're quite the specimen, aren't you?" With both paws, he slicked his pointy ears back. "So _this_ is what humans _look like?_ "

I kept quiet and ashamedly sipped some water. He pulled out his phone to quickly snap a picture but Judy gently stopped him. He tried again but Judy intervened once more. Thankfully, he didn't resist her gestures anymore but that didn't stop him from his fascinated gazes.

"Not gonna lie, you were freaky-looking with your alien apparatus." he continued. _"But without?_ I gotta tell ya, you're not as ugly as I thought you'd be."

I let out a low, annoyed sigh. "Thanks..."

The fox leaned back on his chair, continued to observe, while the rabbit and I focused on the food.

"Nick, aren't you going to eat your breakfast?" Judy asked.

He shook his head, not even paying attention to it. "Not just yet, Carrots. I'm still trying to take it all in."

"Get used to it," I said firmly, returning to the hashbrowns.

It was getting hard to enjoy the food with the fox constantly staring but I did my best to ignore him. Despite the circumstances being less-than-ideal, the breakfast tasted excellent and it was nice to eat without having food pass through a nano- barrier.

"So where's all your fur?" the fox asked.

Without saying a word, I simply tapped my short blonde hair with the gauntlet. I then resumed with the scrambled eggs. After taking a few big bites, I lifted my head and saw that the fox wasn't at the booth anymore. He was gone. But where'd he go? Judy was still here.

Before I could slip more food into my mouth, I felt something grab the top of my head. I turned my torso and spotted Nick standing on the same booth bench right next to me. _How'd he get there without making a sound?_

He stood on his tiptoes, his arm fully extended, and rubbed his paw through my short blonde hair. His pads softly scraped against my scalp. _So much for personal space._

"Is this really all the fur you have?" he asked, brushing through my hair.

"That and other places." I sighed.

He further inspected my head. "Really, like where?"

"Don't ask," I murmured before I felt a tug on the side of my head.

"What about these?"

 _"Those_ are my ears."

"Gee, they're so small..." He pulled them both outward. "Check these out, Carrots!"

He really got on my nerves. "Please stop doing that."

"Come on, Nick, leave him alone and eat your breakfast." Judy facepalmed.

The fox didn't listen. He went for the hair again. "It's so soft, so fluffy! It's like cotton candy..." he whispered to himself.

I brushed his arm away. "Paws off, please."

He took a step back, nearly tripping on my helmet which caught his attention _Don't do it._ But too late. He lifted the hardware and jokingly placed it on his head.

Now he looked like a bobblehead and Judy struggled to contain her laughter.

"How do you even see out of this thing?" Nick's voice muffled. "Yeah, no wonder you can't eat."

I reached over, "Alright, give me that." and pulled the helmet off. He had gone too far.

To prevent him from toying around with it, I kept the helmet on my lap until breakfast was over. Before the deer waiter returned to collect our plates, I shoved the last bit of scrambled eggs into my mouth and placed the helmet back on.

Because of him, the interior was itchy. _Stupid fox. He dishonored such a technologically advanced relic._ I didn't care if the helmet's software was degrading or if his intentions were only all fun and games. He needed to be put in his place. Thankfully, my grim emotions were masked. 

"Ugh. You looked so much better without it." the fox complained, splaying his paws. "It's not even that comfortable, buddy."

"I'm sorry Cherry, but Nick's right." the bunny concurred. "There's no need to wear it all the time."

"Yeah, don't be camera shy. Show some face once in a while."

I shook my head. "No, that's enough for today."

They turned to each other and shrugged. I didn't know why they cared so much but they already pushed me beyond the tolerable limit. Going forward, the helmet would stay on unless I said otherwise. End of story.

Soon enough, the waiter returned to clear the rest of our table. He left a tray of three paw-shaped blueberry mints, took Nick and Judy's payment, thanked us for coming, and departed.

Since I was feeling full and satisfied, I scooted my mint over to Nick. He happily plopped it into his mouth. For any future food items, I'd have to find someplace private to consume it lest they see my face again. But in Zootopia, it was hard to find such privacy.

Now that breakfast was over, it was time to get down to business. But instead of Huns, it was paperwork. Lots of it. Seemingly as numerous. And instead of a sword, we had a carrot pen.

Judy covered our entire table with the necessary ZPD forms. She carefully laid them all out in an organized fashion and kindly circled the places I needed to sign. From a glance, most initially appeared standard minus the animal logos and the acronyms.

As she passed me her orange writing tool, It took me a moment to get used to it. Come to think of it, I haven't written anything by hand in almost six years. Everything in my previous world was computerized so we didn't bother with ink, lead, or chalk. I had to use a spare napkin to practice my penmanship and reactivate those dormant muscles. Three minutes later, I felt confident enough to proceed.

It all started with a name - the first blank space on nearly every form. Accordingly, I jotted down 'Cheribim' and called it good.

But the fox picked up the form and shook his head. "Sorry, buddy. I know filling out fifty forms isn't a way of spending a Friday, but you gotta write out your full name."

"He doesn't have a full name," Judy reminded.

The fox gave a funny look. "Really, why not?"

Judy shrugged and they were both curious so they turned to me.

"In my world, there were so few of us," I explained. "We didn't need last names."

Upon hearing this, Judy went quiet to reflect.

Nick broke the silence. "Well, we gotta come up with something," he said, twirling the carrot pen. "Otherwise, our lovely folks in the mammalian records department will send it right back and that means more paperwork. For you guys, of course."

Despite the irritating animal he was, the fox had a point. That's when a simple idea came to mind. "Judy, Nick, what are your full names?" I asked.

They took a long peek at each other and smiled. With the carrot pen in his paw, Nick scribbled on a spare napkin and it read:

_Nicholas Piberius Wilde_

_Interesting_ , I thought. A bit formal for a fox but admirable nonetheless. Nick then attempted to pass the same pen to Judy. But he held it up high enough that she couldn't reach it. She stood on her tiptoes, her arms fully extended, but she couldn't grab it. Nick got a good laugh but she ended up jumping higher than her own height, snatched the pen, and elbowed him right in the gut. She got the last laugh.

 _What a dumb fox._ Did he not know that bunnies could leap with such ease? At least he knew when to quit teasing until he could fully recover again.

With the carrot pen in her paw, the bunny unfolded the same napkin and wrote her name above Nick's. The calligraphy was surprisingly cleaner and read as:

_Judith Laverne Hopps_

_Impressive_ , I thought. It sounded like the name of someone famous. And it was.

She saved the city of Zootopia, restored harmony, and went out of her way to help those in need. Big and small, predator and prey, it didn't matter. Truly, she was an impressive little bunny.

Nick even took a moment to doodle a heart between his name and her name. Judy played along and blushed.

Both of their names were quite memorable. I found it neat that they actually had full names. Nonetheless, it pained me to reflect back on my old world. Animals received _one name_ and one name only if they were lucky. Otherwise, they received nothing.

But not in Zootopia.

In this world, all the animals had full names. Perhaps four in some cases. With this in mind, Judy tapped my shoulder with the carrot pen. With a bright smile on her face, she passed me the pen and gestured me to write.

I took the pen, clicked it into place, and wrote what came to mind. It honestly didn't have much significance but it would do the trick for now. After all, who wants the extra paperwork?

Thus, I took another spare napkin and wrote:

_Charles Henry Bimson_

_Or Cheribim for short_ , I thought. It came to mind last minute. That would take care of the full name requirement for now.

From the opposite side of the table, Nick was curious and tried to see what I scribbled down. I lifted my gauntlets, he took my napkin, and read it out loud.

His ear twitched. "Is this your real name?"

I shook my head. "No, it's made up."

He passed the paper to Judy. "I think 'Cheribim' sounds more made up. Wouldn't you agree?"

"It isn't. So beat it."

"I like it!" Judy commented, reading it back to herself again. "Even if it's made up, it will do."

"I'm gonna stick with Cherry," the fox concluded. "Nicknames are how I roll, anyway."

"Is that why they call you Nick?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Fine by me."

Now I had a full name. Fake, of course. The last time that ever happened was back in the simulations. With that out of the way, I was ready to fill out the sea of paperwork before us.

Document after document, paper after paper, I placed my John Hancock to the best of my ability. Judy and Nick didn't understand the reference but that didn't stop them from helping me sign the forms. Most were boring while others were quite interesting.

Though they were repetitive, a few of them stood out. In particular, the questions are what got me.

For example, after indicating the 'Male' gender on a government form, the section below it asked for my species. There were over a thousand selections to choose from and it boggled my mind to see them all listed here. It took up two entire pages, both sides. Most were extinct in my world and some I was yet to see in real life. Overall, it made me feel uneasy - silently reading the species' names back to myself - but I managed to push through.

Towards the very bottom of the extensive list, there was one selection that simply read as 'Other'. I checked that one. Next to it, it said 'If Other, please specify:'. Judy told me to put 'Human' so that's what I did. Otherwise, I would've written down something else.

Next, we started on medical and disability forms. Those were tough to fill out.

While I didn't smoke, drink, or use drugs, I still had a dark history of post-traumatic stress disorder from future warfare. While most would argue that it's counterintuitive, the symptoms were of little concern back when I was living in my previous world. Why? It was because the constant exposure forced me to accept the harsh circumstances. _Whatever didn't kill you simply made you stronger._

But in Zootopia, all was well... and I wasn't used to it.

The animals were at peace, they lived in harmony, and the skies were blue. As a result, my symptoms began to manifest more in this world than it ever did in my previous one. Why? Because I now had two worlds to compare. Night and day. There was a stark contrast between the two that caused my emotions to boil back and forth.

There was no further explanation but that's how it was. Perhaps this world was simply too good to be true? All the diverse animals here made it seem that way.

Granted, there were a few rotten ones in their midst - such as those razorbacks - but everyone else was relatively easy to get along with. If they didn't want to get along, then they'd run or walk away. Nice and simple.

In my world, if someone didn't want to get along, then they'd blast, vaporize, or disintegrate the victim. Plain and simple. I would've done the same to those razorbacks if it weren't for the Zootopian laws in place, as specified in the forms I recently signed and agreed to. But such negative thoughts I had to keep in check.

Though I felt restrained, weaker, and somewhat degraded, it was the price I had to pay for living in this world. The resources weren't the same as they used to be. No nuclear fusion reactors to recharge the suit, no nano-particle-accelerated generators, and definitely no quantum computers to keep the software up to date.

But that didn't matter anymore. I had to finish filling out these health forms. Going off on tangents would've been a worthy inclusion to my list of disabilities but I didn't bother including it. Instead, I simply put down 'Stress' because that was a common mental hazard shared by me and most other police officers.

While Nick seemed to be okay with my answers, I could tell that Judy was having second thoughts. She wished to play it safe and conduct a brief mental wellness test to ensure I was fit for duty. This made me nervous and somewhat hesitant but I decided to go through with it.

Thankfully, I passed with flying colors. She asked fifteen questions and I already knew the answers. Mental tests were a common thing in my world so most of it was just recycled material. It was one thing to _present_ answers but it was an entirely different thing to _demonstrate_ them.

But for now, the bunny's doubts dissipated and she was at ease again. The mental health evaluation would require further follow-up at the Zootopian Police Academy where they had more resources. _Fingers crossed._ The rest of the form was carefully filled out and we were almost done. All that remained were a couple of signatures on seven separate documents and we'd soon be on our way.

Thus, I placed the completed documents in one pile tall pile, grabbed the rest from the thinning pile, and flattened them out before me. It was nice to start seeing the wood of the table instead of white paper.

With the documents in hand, I browsed through them one by one. They were from the ZBI, ZIA, ZDC, and the mayor himself. I probably should've read through them fully but I didn't. The paragraphs were too long and the text was rather small. What would they do if I didn't comply? I had no reservations about breaking the law but I also knew that they couldn't do me much harm. After all, the animals in this world used dart guns which wasn't an effective deterrent.

Turns out, the one from the mayor was more of an invitation. He wished to see me. Towards the bottom of the letter, he asked for the soonest date that I'd be available. There were three available dates to choose from and all of them were within this upcoming week. Instead, I crossed them all out, placed my phone number, and simply put 'Call first'. Hopefully, he wouldn't call. I was already growing tired of interviews.

Finally, we were down to two more papers. Nick passed one over to me. "Alright, big guy, don't forget to sign your UZI Agreement."

Confused, I slowly took it. Perhaps I misheard him. _"...UZI?"_

"Unregistered Zootopian Incinderaries Agreement." the bunny clarified. "Or UZI, for short."

I splayed my gauntlets. "What does that mean?"

"It means you agree to not use, operate - or, in your case - _deploy_ any weapon that could inflict harm or cause property damage," she explained. "Only tools registered and inspected by the ZPD are permitted for use in the field. Both on and off duty."

Nick added, "In other words, no more popping off firecrackers."

"So UZI is a ban on guns then?"

They both nodded in unison. "Yep."

_"Right."_

Without further questioning, I signed the form and gave it back to Nick. It's been over a month since I last deployed phaser pistols and it was my intention to keep that streak going. But if the ZPD was going to have an intergalactic soldier fighting by their side as an ally, then their request to eliminate my weaponry was a major downgrade for them. Then again, it was overkill for their world.

Now we were on the final form. It was basically a culmination of all the previous ones plus a few extra conditions. It felt like a peace treaty. I signed the three highlighted regions and handed them over to Judy.

The last agreement was finally signed. Judy stacked it with the rest of the forms, and now she had a thick binder tucked in her arms. From a glance, it looked like a college textbook. She studied through the pages one-by-one to ensure they were properly filled out. Meanwhile, Nick finished picking at his teeth with a toothpick, drank his third cup of coffee, and got the fourth one in a to-go styrofoam cup.

On our way out of the breakfast diner, Judy and Nick were suddenly swarmed by a group of what appeared to be cub scouts, all dressed in an olive-green uniform. Their species consisted mostly of wildebeests with a few bunnies, one elephant, and one camel. They must've been on their way to a pack meeting but they spotted the famous bunny-fox duo from across the street and immediately ran over to them.

To avoid spoiling the moment, I hid behind one of the wooden totem poles just outside the diner and observed.

The uniformed younglings gave the animal officers big hugs, requested their autographs, and took a few group photos with their favorite heroes. From a distance, it was truly a tender moment. Despite the officers being about the same size as the kids, the kids looked up to them and treated them with such high respect.

In my world, no one ever seemed to appreciate cops as much as they should've. Perhaps their gradual integration into the military didn't help in that regard. After all, armored MPs with phaser rifles weren't exactly the most approachable beings within a community.

But Judy and Nick were far more friendly in appearance. They beamed with trust. These scouts felt it and knew that their safety was in good paws. Both were small animals but it was clearly evident that their communital influence was huge.

After the passage of three memorable minutes, it was time for the young scouts to go. They gave the officers last minute hugs and fist bumps before their pack leader called them into formation. Once they were gone and the coast was clear, I stepped back into view.

Judy held out her arms. "You didn't have to hide, Cherry."

"That's right, no need to be shy, my friend." the fox slurped his coffee. "A pack of cubs ain't gonna bite."

"No, no," I defended. "I just wanted to keep a low profile."

He took another loud, long sip, before speaking. "Cherry, buddy, if you wanna make a fine cop, then you gotta socialize more."

Upon hearing this, I gestured to myself. "Even like this?"

Judy looked me head to toe and nodded. "Yep, even like that."

"And you might wanna consider smiling more." the fox implied, motioning a paw around his face. "We both know there's only one way to do that."

Part of me hoped he'd drop the topic but he didn't.

"But we'll save it for the Academy." Judy stepped in. "Tomorrow's a big day for you Cherry so you'll need some rest."

The fox yawned and loosened his tie a tad. "I could use a nap too."

"Oh, no you don't, _mister,"_ Judy ran over, grabbed his tie, pulled it tight which jolted him awake.

"Hey, no fair, Carrots," Nick began stretching. "I practically spent the whole morning convincing Chief to let Cherry join. You know that takes a lot of energy."

"Oh, please," she laughed. "You know I did half the work and you don't see me complaining."

"Well, in that case, we both earned it."

"Nice try, Slick! But Cherry's the one who ran around the city all morning. He earned it."

I gave a triumphant nod. "Couldn't agree more."

Nick casually shrugged and started walking back towards the ZPD. We followed.

"Well, at least I'm all done with the academy and graduated." he continued while taking a few obnoxiously loud slurps from his mug. "Definitely don't miss it. No one does. Because, boy, let me tell ya... they sure know how to work you."

"Work you?"

"That's right," he smirked as he opened the double doors for us. "Pray that you've got yourself some good cardio, my friend, or you'll be sweating like a pig for the next three months."

We stepped back into the lobby and I tried to imagine what the academy experience would be like. _Could he be right?_ I wondered.

"Don't listen to him. It's not _that bad."_ Judy begged to differ.

Judy made me think that either the fox was being a total wimp or nothing was entirely difficult for her.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Carrots. I'm only being honest with Cherry."

As we walked upstairs along the banisters, Judy gestured me lower to whisper something.

"It'll be fine," she quietly said with confidence. _Trust me."_

Her reassuring smile dissipated some of the doubts. But some remained.

"There's no one else I can trust," I whispered to myself.

The fox's ear twitched. Obviously, he heard. "What? You don't trust me?"

"Not yet," I said to him, thinking about what might come to pass these next few months. "I might regret this."

But Judy shook her head. "You won't regret it."

From there on, the day proceeded as normal. The ZPD would soon ship me off to the Zootopia Police Academy tomorrow morning. Depending on completion, they said it could take anywhere between one to three months. Hopefully, I could do it in less but we'd have to wait and see.

The duo decided to take me on an afternoon walk through Antler Park. They changed into their casual attire which initially caught me off guard. Especially with Nick. His Hawaiian shirt and striped tie were a downgrade from his police uniform but Judy liked the outfit for two reasons: It matched his eyes and he wore it when they first met.

We sat and talked for over an hour about the academy. Nick said the training would be back-breaking whereas Judy said it would be doable if I tried my best.

_But how bad could it be?_ I highly doubted we'd have to jump on implosive grenades, disarm planetary laser drills, or take cover in a surprise strafing run. Zootopia had none of that. Thus, It ought to be a breeze. Whatever the academy wished to throw at me, I could take it. No problem.

Judy and Nick wished to present me to all the animal officers in the bullpen room - mostly as a warm welcome to the ZPD. But I wasn't up for it and requested to be escorted back to jail where I could rest on the foldout bed until tomorrow. They found it odd, offered to house me in their own homes, but I declined their offer. Plus, Chief Bogo reminded them that I was still under ZPD custody and he deemed it better to keep larger officers close to my presence.

He then explained that my time at the Police Academy would - in a way - be a continuation of my prison sentence. Hopps and Wilde were assigned as temporary parole officers and the heavy presence of other police animals at the academy meant that I'd be under constant careful watch. Rules would be stricter, I wouldn't be allowed to leave the premises, and I'd be on their full-time schedule.

The ZPD knew my power, they wanted me on their side, and they saw what I was capable of. Regardless, the trust wasn't there, the Chief would give me a chance to prove it, but it would take a while until the regulations were fully lifted.

Hearing all this wearied my mind so I decided to hit the sack. The prison bed was in the exact same position as we last left it and that's when I resumed my long overdue nap. It was already 4:07 PM, a bit early for a regular bedtime, but that didn't matter. The two animal officers outside the cell were on a rotating schedule, they saw that I was dozing off, and that's when they kicked back in their chairs to tap away on their phones.

My eyelids grew heavy, the dimming light turned to penumbra which turned to total darkness, and that's when I was completely out.

But as my entire mortal frame fell further into a deep slumber, I heard a small wooden object hit me in the head. Whoever threw that was about to get it.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." a familiar voice called out.

 _What in the world? It was morning already?_ I turned in the prison bed to see a red-stained popsicle stick littered on the cement floor. As my blurred vision gradually regained its full resolution, another red object came into full view. I tried to rub my eyes but forgot that the helmet was still there. Whatever I saw, it had green eyes and was just as annoying since the day I met him. He was casually sitting in a foldable chair, eating a strange-looking red popsicle, and leaning against the cell grating.

I gave a stern look but he simply shrugged.

"My bad, I just naturally assumed you were wide awake," he said with a smirk. "Your ceramic blue eyes don't ever seem to close shut, do they? _"_

My head collapsed onto the pillow and I sighed. "Morning, Nick..."

"Top of the morning to you." he greeted before pulling out a plastic wrapper to unveil another popsicle. "Want one?"

I saw that it was paw-shaped and possibly homemade. A bit tempting.

"No thanks," I denied, knowing what he was trying to do. "But nice try."

"Whatever floats your tail," he said indifferently, not seeming offended. He pulled his phone out, typed away a few messages, and returned his attention. "Well, today's the big day. You ready to go?"

I stood up. "Let's get this over with."

The fox led the way out of the prison block and into the main lobby. Judy was waiting for us over by the front desk where Clawhauser proudly demonstrated a new app on his phone. The cheetah continued to demonstrate signs of nervousness around me but I gave him a gentle wave which seemed to put him at ease.

Judy led the way out of the lobby and into the ZPD parking lot where cruisers of all different shapes and sizes were tidily parked. For a fox and a bunny, it only seemed natural that they'd pick a smaller ride to match their sizes. But not them. They picked one of the largest in the lot which I found mildly humorous. Either way, it was large enough for me to fit so I had no problem with it.

Except, of course, having a bunny drive.

Regardless, we piled into the cruiser and fastened our seatbelts. Officer Hopps turned the ignition key, revved up the engine, and Officer Wilde put on his aviators. Just like that, we drove past the grand stadium, passed through Lions Gate, and we were coasting down the highway like we meant business. There was no stopping us now.

We came to a stoplight. As we patiently waited, Judy opened the central console to pull out a pamphlet.

"Check it out!" she passed it behind her.

With hesitation, I took it. "What's this?"

From the rearview mirror, she smiled. "A little something to get you motivated along the way."

I turned it over and saw that it was a ZPD pamphlet.

But instead of reading it, I passed it over to the fox. "Here, help me with this. My eyes are ceramic."

He playfully rolled his eyes and began to read in a melodramatic fashion. "The Top Three Reasons to be a cop are: One, t _o fight for justice! Two, t_ _o serve the citizens! And three, t_ _o make the world a better place!"_

He grew tired of reading and tossed the pamphlet aside. We both looked at each other, probably thinking the same thing.

"Hey, don't look at me." he shrugged. "I'm not the one who came up with those tacky slogans."

"I think they're great!" the rabbit disagreed. The light turned green and she stepped on the gas pedal. We both had to embrace the sudden jolt.

Nick gave her a sly grin. "Why do you say that, Carrots? I'm sure you coined that last one, didn't you?"

She gave him a cheeky smile. "Even if I did, would that be a problem?"

He thought for a minute. "No, not at all." he chuckled." But if I _had_ to come up with a reason for joining the ZPD, then I'd at least put something more original."

"Like being with me?" she asked.

The fox began to blush. He tried to hide it but he couldn't.

She continued teasing him. "You know it's true."

"Do I know that, Carrots? Maybe I do."

For the rest of the ride, the bunny-fox duo carried on their flirtatious remarks, while I rested my head against the side window of the backseat. The weight caused a tiny audible cracking sound so I moved to a more upright position. With a knack for breaking things, I had to be more careful. The last thing I needed was another paycheck going towards reparations.

As we passed all the exotic skyscrapers of Zootopia, the view outside the cruiser gradually transitioned from urban to suburban. The buildings got much shorter, the trees seemed to have grown taller. and wide open grass fields were becoming more common. In a way, it was like a hybrid between Zootopia and Bunnyburrows.

Water towers were scattered on the horizon as well as some traditional brick and mortar buildings that appeared to be from the nineteenth century. This place was perhaps older than the city itself, it still had plenty of thick trees, and the roads were becoming simpler and narrower as we cruised through the peaceful neighborhood.

It got to a point where there were hardly any cars except for our cruiser. It hummed through the quiet residences and echoed across the lonely road. Animals of all different species were just outside, strolling along, minding their own business in the community setting. Camels and gazelles were out on a jog, grizzly bears were playing a game of ultimate frisbee, and a bunny mother was pushing a single baby stroller filled with twenty bunnies. Unlike the urban city, no one was in a rush and everyone seemed more relaxed.

As if all were going well at the intersection, the light changed to green. But before we could move, an orange convertible zoomed right past us. The officers took notice and smiled at each other. Nick put on his shades and turned on the siren. Judy hit the pedal and we chased after the car. They managed to pull over the speeding motorist, walked up to his car, and gave him the talk he deserved. I rolled my window down, stuck my head out, and saw that it was a cheetah behind the wheel.

Despite the animal's larger size and disputatious attitude, Judy and Nick were completely unphased. Both stood their ground, were quick to take care of business, and left the cheetah with no other choice but to accept his speeding ticket. Thus, he drove away - although slowly, to avoid getting in trouble again - and he was gone. I was worried that he'd end up with a ticket for going too slow.

Before my two furry escorts could return to the cruiser, they were suddenly approached by a large family of needy opossums. Something always had to come along.

To avoid detection, I stuck my head back in and rolled up the window. Thankfully it was tinted. I sat and listened to their conversation.

Apparently, they were lost and sought directions to the marsupial community fair. Judy and Nick were more than willing to help. After providing them with written directions, the opossums soon recognized they were in the presence of the very heroes who cracked the Nighthowler case.

Because they were some of their biggest fans, the opossums had a plethora of questions for the bunny-fox duo. They eventually asked about the mysterious white animal in Zootopia and were eager to learn more about his what he was and how the ZPD was going to do deal with him. One of the little ones even asked if I was captured yet.

Judy and Nick were quick to respond that I was indeed captured. This truly amazed the opossums. To this day, even I was amazed. However, some of the explanations behind how it all went down were somewhat exaggerated. Nick tried taking most of the credit while Judy reminded him that it was all a team effort to bring me in. Regardless, in my opinion, they just got lucky.

The family finally asked the big question of all. _Where was the alien now?_

Judy reassured them that he was in ZPD custody and there was nothing to worry about. They would first learn more about him before a final determination could be made. Little did they know what would actually happen. But the opossums believed the bunny's words and thanked both the officers for making Zootopia a safer place.

After both parties gave their warm goodbyes, the officers returned back to the cruiser and we resumed our journey. Even in the suburb community, both officers were fairly well known. Wherever we passed, at least a couple of animal residents would recognize them and give a friendly wave. Again, it was nice for me to have a dark tinted window.

We came to another roadway stretch that was a bit different than the rest. The sides were lined with plots of oak trees and old-fashioned lamp posts. There was a traffic island that came into view, extending beyond and splitting the main road into two. We continued to cruise down it for the space of three minutes.

Greystone walls made an appearance and that's when we saw a rustic archway directly overhead. It had brick pillars on both sides, a metal grating connecting the two up top, and stamped golden letters that read as:

_ZOOTOPIA POLICE ACADEMY_

I assumed this was the place.

It was a large facility with a centralized grass lawn, colonial-style wooden dorm housing, and a brick building behind the entrance. Overall, the place had a Harvard feel to it. The main things missing were the American flag and humans. Instead, there were four flag poles with colored district banners and there were animal cadets everywhere. They all wore dark blue t-shirts and darker blue shorts. There was no way I'd wear that.

We made our way to the brick building behind the grass lawn and pulled into the next available parking space next to a few other exotically shaped police cruisers. For some reason, the anxiety kicked it. It felt as if I were going back to school all over again. The data science position was supposed to be an automatic override but I had to start over. No matter, I'd do what I had to do.

"Here at last!" Judy cheered, turning off the car. "Welcome to the Academy!"

Nick opened the cruiser door for me. "Any regrets?"

"Oh, shush." she friskily shooed him off. "It's gonna be great."

I stepped out of the car and looked around to take it all in. This place was larger than I previously thought. The air was fresh, the skies were clear, there were no tall buildings, but the pressure augmented. Among the recruits out in the far distance, I saw rhinos and bison. Animals that could easily knock me over.

"So, where to now?" the fox asked.

Judy briefly pulled out her phone to check something.

"Building 5A," she answered. "We need to find Major Friedkin. She's already aware that we're bringing in Cherry."

We followed the bunny through the parking lot and she led us through a network of campus buildings. As we were walking, I tried to get a full grasp of how large this place was. It just kept going and going. There was no end in sight.

Normally, I could look for MAC cannon towers or sniper nests to give an idea of where the outer perimeter fencing was located in any facility. But this place had none of that. The only tower it had was a water tower with decorative bear ears on its sides. Everything else was just trees and brick buildings.

A pair of black bears spotted us just outside their dorm. They tried to take a picture but realized they didn't have their phones. An exhausted hippo was pouring water into his mouth like a waterfall, spotted me at the corner of his eye, and completely spilled all over himself. Two wolves were playing soccer, one of them kicked the ball, but the goalkeeper stood stagnant as we passed right by him.

What was wrong with these animals? Haven't they ever seen a human space soldier before? Perhaps not even a human. Surely they've heard about me by now from the news but never imagined me coming here.

Judy and Nick simply smiled and waved at the cadets while we kept moving forward. Everyone else stood in wonder.

"Well, would you look at that!" the fox pointed. "It's your first day and you're already famous."

From the corner of my eye, there were three body-building tiger recruits who folded their tricep arms and suspiciously stared.

"More like infamous," I countered.

"Don't worry, that'll change soon." the rabbit spoke up. "I know it will."

Hopefully, she was right. I had a feeling that things would work out one way or another. The anxiety of being here would weigh on my shoulders but her optimism kept my head up.

After extensive walking and multitudinous looks from other animals, we came to a two-story building that had a distinct design. It had no windows whatsoever, had a box-shape, and only had a pair of metal double doors and two emergency exits. It reminded me of a war bunker only it was brighter and had a fresh coat of blue paint.

The duo opened each door and I stepped inside. They followed.

The entire building was one large room. It had hard rubber flooring, dark corners, and only a single incandescent ceiling light to illuminate the center of the room. What I saw next took me by surprise.

It was a boxing ring.

About seventeen animal cadets stood around as spectators. There in the center, was an imposing rhino boxer who wore bright blue boxing gloves and a neoprene headpiece. Adjacent to him, standing just outside the ring, was a polar bear. Most likely a drill sergeant. It wore the same dark blue outfit as the rest of the recruits except it had a blue baseball cap and a plastic whistle around its neck.

"Enormous criminal!" she announced.

As soon as we stepped closer, the rhino knocked out an arctic wolf boxer with one swift blow.

The female polar bear blew her whistle. "You're dead!"

The defeated animal - with crooked ears and messy fur - painfully rolled himself out of the arena. Other animals were in line to take turns fighting.

But there was a brief hiatus in the room as all heads turned towards me. No one spoke up and no one moved. They only stared.

The polar bear decided to play tough and marched towards me. She didn't seem too happy with my sudden drill interruption. But as soon as she saw Officer Hopps and Wilde standing beside me, she stopped in place and smiled.

"Well, if it isn't my former little cadet, fuzzy bunny!" she greeted.

Judy gave a friendly wave. "Major Friedkin, it's so good to see you!"

"The pleasure's all mine," she said. "Now, what can I thank your visit for today?"

"We've got a one-of-a-kind recruit here for you, Major." the fox presented. "One that's going to rewrite the books."

The polar bear shook her head and chuckled. "I doubt it, Wilde. This year's cadets are a bunch of slackers."

The animals murmured in the background while Friedkin carefully inspected me from head to toe. She got close to my face, waited for me to blink, and tried to get a grasp of what I was.

"So this is the one then?" she asked. "The mystery mammal everyone's talkin' about?"

The rabbit folded her arms and stood proudly. "Yep! He's the one. His name is Cherry."

"...and he'd like to join the ZPD." the fox added.

"...to eventually become a data scientist." I finished. Nick rolled his eyes again.

The polar bear scoffed. "Boring."

_Seriously?_

While standing still, the polar bear walked laps around me with circumspection. I extended my gauntlet as a simple greeting but she ignored it. She was only with visualizing me from all angles until it felt uncomfortable.

"I wanna see what he can do," she turned to face the animal cadets and gave them commanding gestures. "Stand back cadets! We're putting him in the ring!"

 _Wait, was she serious?_ I recently arrived and she already wanted to put me under the spotlight?This had to be a joke. But as soon as she tossed me a pair of boxing gloves, I knew she was serious. I looked back at Judy and Nick, hoping they were also caught off guard, but they decided to go along with it.

All eyes were now on me. _These guys were really asking for it._

Thus, with the gloves in hand, I placed them over my gauntlets and tightened the velcro. Never in my life had I worn boxing gloves until now. They were loose-fitting, primarily designed for creatures with four fingers instead of five, so I had to place both my ring finger and pinky finger into the same inner glove slot.

Major Friedkin pointed at the ring and I reluctantly climbed inside. There in front of me stood the mighty rhino. He primed his fists and prepared to strike. However, I waited in the corner of the ring and didn't move.

He waited for me to advance but I remained still. Both his gloves were up but mine was down. Growing impatient, the rhino decided to charge me. I dodged his first head-on attack and we swapped ring corners. He began to circle me for an attack but I remained parallel to him. I strived to be cautious due to all the ZPD lobby memories so I kept a distance.

With a sudden heartbeat, I lunged and socked him in the throat.

It didn't do jack squat.

To mock me, he let out an unsavory chuckle through his reeking mouthguard. That's when I went for the nose.

He instantly fell over.

The audience went wild.

Even the major was impressed. "You're dead, horn-face!"

"Woo! Nice job Cherry!" Judy clapped her paws.

Nick gave a thumbs up. "Way to go, pal."

As the fatigued rhino rolled away, the polar bear blew her whistle. "Listen up, cadets! Cherry-Bun will be our new enormous criminal for today!"

All the other animals gave each other worried looks.

Nick smirked at his partner. "Seems fitting."

Judy elbowed him in the rib.

"What? It's a compliment," he defended. "After all, he is a natural."

 _Well, he wasn't wrong,_ I thought. Being placed in a boxing ring wasn't my intent, nor did I even consider it on the way here. But they had me front and center so I decided to stay in the ring.

The animal cadets lined up, one-by-one, and we began a new match.

My new opponent was now a spotted jaguar. He was young and agile, full of energy, but also quite nervous. He got a few chest hits on me but I finished him off with a single strike on his own chest, which caused the animal to be flung back. Lucky for him, my gauntlets were covered in pads to lessen the pain.

"You're dead, Mr. Spots!" the major mocked.

The next opponent was a horned ram. We got into position but he immediately surrendered as soon as I took a step forward. That was easy.

The major got in his face. "You're dead, fluff-wig!"

After the ram fled, a massive tiger leaped into the ring. Now I got nervous. His triceps were much wider than my thighs and he had them fully flexed until the veins were visible. I looked at my own arms and considered myself buff until I met a real tiger. No matter, I got into position and awaited his attack.

He sprung forward, nearly faster than I could react, and he landed four consecutive punches. One on the chest, one on the face, and two more on my chest again. This caused me to slide back but he didn't knock me over. I'm glad he was wearing rubber gloves because he might've broken a wrist upon impact.

He blocked one of my punches so I immediately tackled him to the ground. We did a few somersaults before I spun around and got behind his back. Using all my strength plus the suit's material integrity, I placed him into a headlock and held him until he tapped out.

"You're dead, stripes!"

After hearing that from the polar bear, I released the tiger, and he rolled himself away. I had a feeling that he wanted to remove his glove and slash me but he kept his composure.

The next animal who entered the boxing ring caused me a great amount of visible confusion. It was tall, thin, and lanky. He had a red fur coat, a black mane, a black muzzle, and white pointy ears. Was it a fox? Was it a hyena? Honestly, I had no idea.

Whatever he was, I didn't like that look he was giving me. It was prideful enough that he wasted no time in jumping onto my back, placing me into a tight headlock. I had to admit, this animal had an incredible grip despite his thin stature. He was also a tryhard.

I reached back to grab him but he kicked my arms away each time. No matter what I did, he would not let go and continued with the chokehold.

He persisted until my patience began to wear thin. In response, I rammed my back into the rubber post and he flipped right over. He fell onto the laps of the spectators, knocking them over as well.

The major walked right up to the fallen opponent and pointed. "You're dead, Wolfram!"

Whatever that animal was, he definitely wasn't happy. I soon found out from a nearby clipboard that he was actually a maned wolf. He limped away into the bleachers but continued to give me a nasty glare.

Regardless, the boxing matches kept going. Many cadets eagerly waited in line for their turn. But why? They had no chance.

The next opponent was an elephant. Every giant step he took would vibrate the entire boxing ring like a small earthquake, causing my anxiety levels to rise. But as soon as I saw how slow and unbalanced he was, I took full advantage.

I climbed onto one of the posts and slammed my fist onto the elephant's head. He took a mighty tumble and rubbed his bruised head.

"You're dead, Tuskabee!"

I rolled my eyes and facepalmed. _Why did she always have to say that?_ It was starting to get on my nerves.

The sore elephant was escorted off the ring and more officers wanted a go at me. For the next fifteen minutes, that's what they did.

A lion came to the ring but I dodged his swipe and nailed him in the gut.

The whistle was blown. "You're dead!"

A timberwolf jumped in but I pinned him down.

Another whistle was blown. "You're dead!"

 _"Please_ stop saying that..." I begged.

Major Friedkin blew her whistle yet again. "You are _not_ in charge here, Cherry Bum! Next!"

More animal cadets were in line so I got into position. Pretty soon, there'd be no more animals to fight. Regardless, I was truly enjoying myself and found great pleasure in every minute of it.

It wasn't solely because I was beating up talking animals and reliving the lobby experience. But rather, it was the variety and randomness of the challenge.

We were in a stable environment and every match was one-on-one.

It was a good way for me to get to know them better. Thanks to the rubber gloves, there was only so much injury I could inflict upon them.

I tried to be gentle with some cadets while others I quickly put into their place. Animal after animal, boxing match after boxing match, the list kept going.

It got to a point where I faced a bison, a hippo, and even a panther to name a few. Some matches were close while others had no competition. But no matter the animal, I emerged triumphant every time.

Naturally, my confidence was high. Perhaps my time at the academy would be much better than I thought.

Nearing the end of the hour, another animal approached the boxing ring. It was a grizzly bear. Though he appeared wide in stature and formidable, I could tell he was still nervous. No one in this room could beat me so far. Neither would he.

Before the match bell chimed, he closed his eyes and pondered. I got the impression that he was performing a deep meditation to summon some undisclosed powers or abilities specifically reserved for a bear. It got worrisome but I remained in my stance.

Finally, the match started, his eyes shot wide, and he rushed after me.

His sudden burst of valiant determination caught me off guard and I began to slide across the boxing ring. He had me in a tight bear grip and tried to push me off the ring.

I tried to punch free from his grip but to no avail. He kept pushing with his broad shoulders and was nearing victory.

With no other option, I sprawled my legs out and threw all my weight onto his head. I tightly wrapped both arms around his neck and used my hips to flip him onto his back. My hip popped but I didn't care. As soon as the bear was flat on the ground, I threw an unforgiving punch into his eye socket. Just like that, he was out.

All the officers gasped, including Judy and Nick. Perhaps I went too far.

While I stood silently in the middle of the ring - feeling somewhat guilty - two tiger cadets escorted the grizzly bear over to the bleachers where he could recover. They gave him an ice pack for his black eye and he seemed okay for the most part.

Meanwhile, Major Friedkin blew her whistle and signaled another animal cadet to face me in the ring.

No one came forward. They all looked at each other and slowly backed away.

 _At least I earned some level of respect_ , I thought to myself. Seeing that things were wrapping up here, I unfastened the velcro to pull the boxing gloves off.

The major placed both paws on her hips and turned to face all of the cadets. "Anyone else?"

We all searched the room but no one spoke up. I assumed we were done for the day.

"I'll take him." a female voice spoke up.

I panned my head around but couldn't see who it was. The voice sounded familiar but it wasn't Judy.

From the dim corner of the room, a small animal figure stepped into the light and I instantly recognized her.

It was Rebecca Pawts.

The same coyote who interrogated me back at the station one month ago. _But why was she here?_

She climbed under the ring ropes, stood directly in front of me, and gazed with those golden eyes. The coyote only stood less than half my height but she got herself into a fighting stance by positioning her feet and raising her paws. Was she actually serious?

"Alright, Mr. Cherry," she said with confidence. "Give me your best shot."

I looked around the arena and saw animal cadets eagerly gathering around to watch. Strangely enough, there appeared to be a greater audience than ever before. I was detecting a lose-lose situation here.

After all, the coyote had no gloves on. Just her bare paws and that was it. Surely, she'd get herself injured and I'd be the one to blame.

I tossed my rubber gloves aside and folded my arms. "What are you doing here, Rebecca?"

"To see what you're made of," she answered, jogging in place. "Are you ready?"

Everyone in the audience crowded closer and the major blew the whistle. _This was just absurd._

"Whatever," I shrugged. "I'll go easy."

As I took one step forward, she got on all fours in a stealthy-like pose. _Strange._ My right fist swung towards the coyote but she ducked. I followed through with my left and she evaded that one. The right came back for a follow-up but she veered off to the side.

With no luck, I waited for her to lunge. I would've loved to see her try because a furry little creature couldn't do much against an armored soldier.

But no matter how long I waited, she wouldn't attack. The coyote only kept mirroring my position in the boxing ring and rotated whenever I tried to get a better angle.

I threw both my gauntlet fists at her with improved velocity but she had no trouble dodging them. I attempted a roundhouse kick but she saw that one coming. Just when I thought the coyote had her guard down, I thrust my arm in her direction but she evaded its path.

She was just too nimble

But now she was starting to piss me off. I tried to be gentle but decided to throw that rule out the window.

In a sudden frenzy, I repeatedly swung my fists at full speed. _Now she was asking for it._

I managed to graze her shoulder, causing her to fall over, but she got back up.

Seemingly in a desperate attempt to flee, she leaped onto the ring rope instead. The coyote pulled back against it, flung herself towards me, and used her feet to kick my own gauntlet against the side of my head.

The impact knocked me down completely and I was flat on the floor. The visor had a tiny crack in it and the coyote stood right over me.

"Hmph," she nodded in satisfaction, breathing heavily as she recovered.

"You're dead, Cherry Bum!" the major mocked.

Upon hearing this and noticing that I was just beaten by a coyote, my only reaction was to drop my head back, stare at the ceiling light. So this is what she meant when she told me she knew Zaekwondo.

"Not all criminals are enormous, Mr. Cherry." the coyote said. "Never underestimate the smaller animals of Zootopia."

I gave her a fake thumbs up and sighed. _"Whatever..."_

"By the way," she whispered to me directly. "That's for throwing my number away."

I sat upright, feeling confused as ever. "What number?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. My job forbids me from exchanging numbers with an interrogee. My mistake."

She marched away, hopped off the boxing ring, and disappeared through the double doors. _So much for her._

While Judy was chatting with Major Friedkin, the fox ran over to my side.

"Nick, what was she talking about?" I wondered.

He patted the back and chuckled. "Buddy... you've got _a lot_ to work on."


	36. Chapter 35:  A New Hustle, Part ll

Turns out, Nick was right. There was much to do. 

It was like the first day of school all over again. In other words, it felt like awaiting a mental execution. 

All the staff was animals instead of humans. Many were hard to take seriously because a human typically taught animals tricks and not the other way around. That meant I couldn't say that the dog ate my homework. I don't even think they knew what a dog was.

The rest of the day involved cleaning up the arena, performing basic workout drills, and getting assigned stacks upon stacks of hardcover ZPD textbooks. 

Most officers needed a backpack to transport the textbooks but I barely managed to fit them between my arms. _But why so many?_ I didn't think there was much to becoming a cop but the animals here seemed to treat it like earning a college degree.

While we were walking, I carefully browsed through the printed pages of one particular textbook at the top of the stack. It had the same thickness as a loaf of bread and was entitled Zootopia Arresting Procedures (ZAP).

I thought algorithms and data structures were complicated enough but this textbook had its own flavor of complexity. For starters, it described over a thousand ways to confront different species across Zootopia. It wasn't as simple as arresting humans like my world. Rather, it described how to deal with all the animal civilians from a tiny mouse to a towering giraffe.

Thus, every species had to be confronted in a unique, special way. A method used for a rhino would not work on a squirrel and vice versa. In fact, there were disclaimers for arresting a species the 'incorrect way'. For example, using the proper taser voltage or firing a tranquilizer dart at the safe spot were all things to consider. 

I figured a mousetrap would take care of all the smallest mammals but Judy and Nick didn't appreciate the joke.

No matter, this was going to be much harder than I thought. I knew very well how to effectively take down humans. But taking down animals - without hurting and/or offending them - would prove to be challenging.

To avoid unnecessary stress, I closed the textbook for now and kept walking. I shouldn't have peaked at it. There would be more on that later. For now, it was time to start thinking more like a zookeeper and less like a soldier.

Meanwhile, Judy and Nick were kind enough to give me a grand tour of the Zootopia Police Academy. Truly, this place was indeed massive. More than 1,700 acres and counting due to future project plans. For over a century, this place has been known to house and train the very first animal officers ever since The Great Migration took place around the watering hole known as present-day Zootopia.

Judy was really into the rich history whereas her partner Nick was mostly just here for the job. Honestly, that's how I also felt. While a little history never hurts, my mind was more occupied with the assigned quizzes we're supposed to take tomorrow assigned by Major Friedkin herself. Yes, she already assigned homework on my first day here.

Feeling somewhat intimidated by the overall atmosphere, I wished to retreat to the dorms where I could rest and study for the night. My sore forearm continued to throb but I kept that a secret from the two furry officers. I already had enough attention for the day and just wanted to stay hidden until tomorrow.

The cadets and officers were going to have a casual game of night soccer to finish off the evening but I declined the offer. The rabbit and fox were understanding and escorted me to one of the dorms where I'd be staying. Once we arrived at the wooden house, Judy gave me a copper key.

But instead of entering, I set the books down and sat on the cement steps. The two officers joined me. As I took a minute to stare off into the sunset horizon, I felt a small embrace.

"Good luck, Cherry! You're gonna do great!"

"Stay out of trouble, call if you need us." Nick winked.

"Chief Bogo's assigned us a new case but we'll try to visit you weekly."

"Don't worry," I assured. "Finish the case first, then we can talk about it."

"We'll have it done in forty-eight hours," the fox spoke with confidence, nudging his partner. "Am I right, Carrots?"

"Yep!" the bunny beamed, nudging him back. "Just like we've always done."

"Well, _in that case_ , just come biweekly," I suggested.

"Twice a week then? We can do that."

I shook my head. "No, I mean, once every two weeks."

Her ears drooped. "Are you sure, Cherry? Two weeks is a long time."

"Yeah, are you trying to get rid of us or something?" Nick implied, crossing his arms.

"I just need to focus is all."

"We understand," she said. "But please call us if you change your mind. We're here to help."

"And speaking of which," he leaned in to whisper. "You can borrow all my study notes, I hid some of them in the textbooks."

"Nick, all the textbooks are new this year. They threw the old ones out."

He threw his arms up. _"Again?_ Well, that's a bummer. The old ones were perfectly fine."

 _That's okay_ , I thought. His penmanship wasn't that great anyway.

We spent a few more minutes together before it was time to go. The day grew late and we temporarily parted our ways.

Before going inside the dorms, I looked back to see Judy and Nick give another friendly wave. I waved back, accidentally dropping the keys in the process, but kept my composure. Nick placed his arm around Judy and they both disappeared into the cruiser. Turns out, the dorms were next to the front lawn parking lot. 

Nick activated the sirens for a brief second before he and Judy took off down the street. After passing the stone boundary walls of the Academy, they were no longer in sight. I still couldn't believe that a fox and a bunny were physically able to drive a police cruiser of such size.

Either way, I was going to miss them.

But I shook those thoughts away, picked up the keys, and attempted to enter the dorms. The lock wouldn't cooperate so I forced the key. It was probably broken by now but I entered anyway.

The place was dark, the wooden floors creaked with every step, and there were bunk beds everywhere. All of them varied in size. Some were built for a glorious elephant whereas others were more designed for a stupid coyote. 

_Oh, how I despised her. What a fool she made of me._

I picked the far bottom bunk in the corner, over by the window, and sat myself down. The lower part of my visor still had a slight crack so I shifted some nanoparticles over to seal it off. 

But now the tip of my pinky was exposed. In response, I borrowed some particles from the shoulder plate which took care of it.

It would've been ideal to have a private room but all the dorms at the academy were shared. No one else was here so I took the opportunity to remove my helmet. I held it in my gauntlets, briefly glanced at it, and set it on the bed.

 _"Goodness..."_ I said to myself. The last 48 hours involved rescuing cubs from a fire, fighting razorbacks, joining an animal police force, and getting beat by a ZIA canine.

I rubbed my exposed cheek and still felt the small bruise. The hair on my head was still messy from the fox earlier today but I didn't much care for it. No one in Zootopia would see my hairstyle anyway.

Next up, I removed my boots.

Having 3D printed lower legs wasn't the most ideal but that's all I could walk on. Their hollowed exoskeletal, titanium-alloy design was remarkably lightweight and just as mobile as any standard human leg. I could run, jump, and climb through most standard obstacles. However, a lack of toes affected balance and low thrust made swimming a challenge. Hence I always wore the boot.

I laid my head back onto the pillow, stretched my thighs out, reflecting for the next five minutes. My mind wandered for another fifteen while my eyelids grew heavy again. I attempted to slide off my gauntlets until I heard group laughter coming from outside. _Was privacy not a thing here?_

The voices were approaching the dorms so I frantically placed my gear back on and pulled the covers over. Instead of running, I stayed in bed. 

The wooden door unlocked and animal cadets poured into the room. Aside from the constant creaking of the floors, they were loud and rambunctious.

"Morris, I totally sank you on that last goal!"

"Yeah right! Only one! I blocked you on five others!"

"During warmup, that is!"

"Not true."

"Yes!"

"Nope."

"Oh, yes it was."

"Fine. How bout a rematch?"

"What?"

"Just you and me, pal."

"Nah, I'd rather end the night on a winning note."

"You're just afraid that I'll actually beat you in soccer, aren't you?"

"Nope, I just know how to pick my own fights."

"Ha! Yeah right."

 _Go play a real sport_ , I muttered to myself, trying to stay hidden. The animal cadets spread themselves out, continued to converse, sat on their beds, and threw their shirts off to the side. One of their shirts landed on my head but I remained still. It reeked of sweat.

"Say, what'd you guys think of that mammal we saw today?"

"The one from T.V.? The alien?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Not gonna lie, he kinda freaks me out."

"Same here."

"Looks like a monster to me."

"Right? Imagine waking up every day with a face like that!"

"I wouldn't want to know."

"Boy, I tell ya, with a semblance like that, I just wanna maul it off."

"Why didn't you?"

"I tried to in the ring but couldn't find its muzzle."

"I don't even think it has a muzzle!"

"But how does it eat?"

"He sucks your soul out!"

"Ha! Wouldn't surprise me!"

"Boy, I'm glad that coyote took it down!"

"Couldn't agree more!"

"Now we know his weakness!"

"And we'll use it against him tomorrow."

"Any idea on where he is? I wanna be ready when he comes out."

"Dorm B-15 I believe.

"Hold up, you said fifth-teen or fifty-tee?

"Fifteen, as in one five."

"But you said D-15, right? Like 'D' as in 'Deer'?

"No, I said _B-15_ , like 'B' as in 'Beaver'. Why? Are we not in D-15?

"We're in B-15 right now."

"Wait, we are? _This_ is B-15?"

_"Yes!"_

"Oh no..."

_"Butter my bum and call me a biscuit, he's HERE?"_

They searched the entire room and I froze. Without further warning, the sheets were pulled off.

"Found him!" one of them shouted.

My back turned and I saw that it was a maned wolf. The same one from the boxing arena. His eyes glared and the base of his muzzle furrowed in anger. He dropped the sheets, folded his arms, and stood with a stiff tail.

"Well, well, if it isn't _the freak_ from _another world._ " he scorned.

I slowly sat up.

The rest of the animal cadets crowded around the bunk bed and stood directly behind the maned wolf in a semi-circle. I was now surrounded by two rhinos, a hippo, and two bears. None of them were thrilled to see me. In fact, they said nothing and only stared with contempt.

"Charles Henry," I greeted, trying to use the same name from the application because it sounded more normal. "It's a pleasure."

My hand was extended in an effort to be friendly. But the maned wolf ignored it. He and his fellow cadets held the same grudge.

"Easy..." I spoke softly. "I have no quarrel with you."

"Good." said the nonchalant wolf. "Because you don't belong here."

"Why not?" I asked.

He glared and growled lowly. "We saw what you did in the arena... and we heard what you did at the station. You're the type of monster that'll get every mammal in this blue outfit killed."

"No," I begged to differ. "You're wrong."

"I see it in your eyes. You're devoid of emotion." he stood closer, his face inches away. "And you're a disaster waiting to happen."

My fist clenched. "You don't even know me."

"I know you well enough." he countered. "Hopps and Wilde spoke greatly of you... but I'm not buying it. While I do admire them, I _cannot_ fathom how they'd _ever_ let you join us. It's _beyond_ me."

"You should be grateful." I defended. "Because you have no idea what my species is capable of."

"Whatever _unearthly_ species you are, it's only capable of trouble. I can smell it." 

"Smell it? You're confusing me with your shirt."

"And how dare you set foot in this academy?" the maned wolf griped. "Zootopia doesn't need another white demon to start a whole new Night-Howler-like crisis"

I pointed right at him. "Listen here, you maned piece of shi-"

"Save it for tomorrow, guys!" the hippo interrupted. "Lights out at 10:30."

We all pulled out our devices to check the hour. The hippo had his pocket watch, the bear had his watch, the rhino had his tablet, the maned wolf had his flip phone, and I had my HUD. It was 10:45 PM.

"Fine," the maned wolf threw his paws up. "We'll see if we're not dead by morning."

"If we're dead, then at least we won't have to do the Major's workout." the hippo yawned, his breath filled the air and stunk.

The officers climbed into their respective bunk beds and one of the bears doused off the lights. I got into my bed too and pulled the covers back on. As I lifted my head, I saw that the maned wolf was climbing up the side ladder. He reached the top and flattened himself out on the upper mattress of the bunk bed. He was now right above me and his bushy tail dangled from the side. _This was awkward._

The lights were off, the other cadets were snoring, and all was quiet again. The only light was the moon from the night sky. Hopefully, tomorrow would be a brighter day. In other words, a better day.

Not wanting to end the day on a negative note, I decided to say something back to the maned wolf.

"Despite our differences, we have one thing in common..." I said.

A few seconds of silence passed.

"...like what?" he asked flatly.

I thought for a minute. "...we dislike each other for different reasons."

For the rest of the night, he didn't say a word and neither did I. Though he tossed and turned frequently, at least the maned wolf didn't snore like the rest of the animal cadets. Perhaps I should've learned his name, but for all I knew, he was just an extra in my life story.

Back in my world, maned wolves were extinct by the time I was born. I read about them once but never thought I'd ever meet one in real life. So far, our interaction wasn't going too well. Perhaps human encroachment on their Brazilian land was coming back to haunt me. I tried not to think about it but instead focused on tomorrow.

The first day tends to be rough at any academy so it ought to get better. I'll just give it my all, become a ZPD officer, and hopefully become a data scientist.

Six and a half hours passed and the role call trumpet sounded. Was it already time to wake up? I peaked out the window and saw an elephant instructor blowing on an actual trumpet. All the other cadets in the dorm were already out of bed and getting a new blue shirt on. 

As they herded themselves out the door, I saw a neatly folded shirt on top of the dresser. Attached to it was a sticky note with a smiling fox emoji and above it read:

_Might wanna put this on_

_\- Nick  
_

_Like hell, I will._ Even though the dark blue shirt was about my size, I tossed it aside and headed out the door. There's no way they could make me wear that.

As I stepped outside onto the brick pathway, I saw that the sky was partially cloudy. Small puddles of water formed in various places and I assumed it must've rained last night. The air felt refreshing and I was looking forward to today.

Across the street, the cadets were gathering on the front lawn for roll call so I jogged over. They all saw me coming the minute I left the dorm and murmured to one another. I didn't like all the attention so I kept my head down, stared at the wet grass, and quietly joined them.

"Cherry Bum!" the major called on the megaphone.

We turned around and the cadets sniggered. The bossy polar bear stood right behind us.

"Cherry Bum!" she called again.

"Yes, sir? Ma'am?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, speaking into the megaphone again. "Where's your uniform?"

"Right here," I pointed to my cloak.

"Take off that flea-ridden bathroom towel and put on some blue!" she roared. "While you're at it, give me fifty!"

The maned wolf from last night appeared out of the animal crowd, stepped forward, and folded his arms in disapproval. "And he can't even obey basic ZPD dress protocol. I expected nothing more."

I pointed my Han Solo finger at the wolf but refrained from saying anything vulgar. Instead, I marched back to the dorms as fast as I could to retrieve the blue shirt. Before going back outside, I tried it on but it felt tight around the upper chest. Plus, it looked beyond ridiculous.

In response, I tore it off my chest, sliced the fabrics, tied them together, and made myself a blue cloak.

"Perfect," I muttered, flinging it over my back.

I headed back outside to rejoin the animal cadet group. Everyone was a bit puzzled but I went ahead and proceeded with my fifty pushups. By the time I got to twenty-seven, Major Friedkin walked over with the megaphone and lifted my cloak.

 _"What's this?"_ she questioned.

"My uniform," I grunted while on pushup number thirty-seven.

She tossed the fabric aside. "That's not a uniform! I said put on a uniform!"

Before speaking, I finished the last pushup. "You said to put on blue."

She walked a lap around me, tugged at the cloak to straighten it, and then turned to face the group of animal recruits.

But instead of using the megaphone, she tossed it aside and blew on her whistle.

"Listen up, cadets!" she called. "Zootopia has twelve unique ecosystems within its city limits. Tundratown! Sahara Square! Rainforest District! Canal District! Nocturnal District! Little Rodentia! Mammal Mountain! Marshlands! Meadowlands! Outback Island! Savanna Central! And The Canyonlands! You're gonna have to master all of them before you hit the streets, or guess what? You'll be dead!"

The animals nervously looked at each other while I only shrugged and stared down at the wet grass. _How bad could it be?_ As long as Mordor and Skull Island weren't on the list, I figured we'd be alright.

"Split off into three groups!" she ordered. "Group A, go to glacier wall! Group B, head over to the rapids! Group C, take a mile and march your soggy tails over to the dust bowl! Stay together, await my instruction, or guess what? You'll be dead!"

The groups assembled, I ended up in group A, and we followed one of the tiger officers across the campus.

"Deep down, I'm sure she means well," I quietly said to myself. 

But the maned wolf jogged up to my side and glared. "I hope you were paying attention."

I didn't know he was there. Nor did I care. He ran off and caught up to his friends. They laughed and joked together while I wondered why they got along so well with everyone else except me.

We came to an open field adjacent to the forest. The perimeter had a chain-link fence with trees on the outside. On the inside was a square ice rink with a thirty-foot wall of solid ice splitting the midsection and a stream of water was running along the base. On each side of the ice barrier, there were two cooling machines to prevent it from melting.

"Frigid ice-wall!" the major blew her whistle. "You're up Cherry! Show us what you've got!"

I stepped onto the ice but immediately slid and fell face flat.

"You're dead, spacer!"

In anger, I punched the frozen ground, causing the ice sheet to crack.

"Someone's got a cold temperament." the maned wolf whispered to his friends, causing them to snicker.

I would've punched that wolf if it didn't get me into trouble with the academy. However, I was already in trouble. 

Because of my premature ground punching, they ended up having to close down the obstacle course due to the sharp, jagged edges along the ice. I suggested they put on boots but the major had no idea what I was talking about.

Instead, they called in a groundskeeping crew of beavers to patch up the ice and ensure it was safe to use. Placing a new layer wouldn't take long but it needed to settle overnight. To pass the time, Major Friedkin assigned us more bookwork and an additional quiz.

That didn't fly too well with the cadets.

Most of us studied in the lunchroom later that day. Many tables were packed full so I picked one in the farthest corner. While studying from the textbook, I felt a large force bump my arm. My nearby glass of orange juice spilled onto the pages, completely soaking them until they began to tear from the soaked weight.

I turned around to punch the maned wolf but it wasn't him. It was actually a rhino. Instead of engaging, I lowered my fist. The rhino gave me a nasty look, stomped off, and gave all his buddies fist bumps.

Next time, I'd better stick with water.

Later on, we took the quiz on Mammalian Fundamentals. The questions stumped me and I realized that the material came from the wet pages of the textbook. The parts I didn't study.

After failing the quiz, we went to the sandstorm obstacle course the next day. The ice wall wasn't yet ready due to a mechanical failure on one of the cooling machines so we had to adjust our schedule.

The sandstorm course was simply a giant wooden sandbox filled with saturated reddish-yellow sand. Were we going to make sandcastles? While waiting for the Major to show up, I tried making my own castle until a giant gust of wind destroyed it. To my left, the polar bear major had activated three enormous turbines, each with a ten-foot diameter.

"Scorching sandstorm!" she announced.

We lined up shoulder to shoulder at the opposite end of the turbines. The officers squinted their eyes at the incoming dust particles but I was unaffected. Unlike them, I had a visor.

Major Friedkin blew her whistle and we all advanced. The tails of the animal cadets were flailing in the wind, their fur shifted like blades of grass, and my cape flapped in the wind. The cadets seemed to struggle but I was fine. Though I really had to push myself to advance against the oncoming winds, my vision was fine and no sand was getting through.

This so-called sandstorm was nothing compared to the storms of my world. My suit was built for it.

The maned wolf - being the tryhard he always has been - rapidly crawled his way in front of me and kicked sand into my face. It had no effect.

"Stay out of my way!" he barked.

Other animals attempted the same stunt but they failed to impede my advancement. 

The animals were barely halfway and I had already reached the end of the sandpit. I was touching the turbines, sitting right next to them, but they didn't blow me over.

Major Friedkin noticed this and decided to turn it up a notch.

She pulled a lever for the turbines and they spun faster than before. I was still unaffected but my cloak did blow off and landed on the face of an elephant cadet, causing him to slide back a few feet.

Upon seeing this, the polar bear cracked her knuckles before pulling the lever further.

"Storm Surge!" she shouted. 

The turbines were at max power, causing me to blow over. I rolled and rolled, crashed into the rhino, making him slide into the other cadets until we all collided together like dominoes. But instead of being neatly stacked like pizza boxes, we were all over the place.

"Get off my tail!"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"C'mon!"

As the cadets complained, I quickly stood up, backed away. The maned wolf limped over to and pointed at my chest.

"It's only a matter of time," he glared.

To make it worse, the Major congratulated me for completing the course. But everyone else was punished for it. They had to take a three-mile lap while I wasn't required to do anything until they got back. 

I swear, it's almost as if my life were being set up for a successful failure or a failed success. A successful success was not an option anymore. A failed failure was all I seemed to have left.

Three days later, we were in a traditional classroom setting to learn about how to handle different levels of police academy stress. However, the cheetah instructor had us arrange our chairs into a circle. It felt awkward with everyone staring. He stood in the center to address us. His tail kept swinging back and forth which I found rather distracting. 

"Cadets! What do you do when you're stressed?" he curiously looked at each and every one of us. "Let's share some ideas! Shout em out."

Another cheetah raised her paw. "I like to go on a short morning sprint."

"I rub my back against the tree!" a grizzly bear motioned. 

A pig raised his arm. "I roll in the mud to cool myself off."

"My family and I howl at the moon!" a timber wolf mentioned. 

A horse raised his hooves. "I brush my fur!"

"I lick my fur," a panther said.

"Me too!" another one fist-bumped the air.

I almost threw up in my mouth. But everyone else thought it was great advice.

"I prefer to brush my tail," a red panda demonstrated. He was actually brushing his tail in class. No one else found it strange except me.

As we went around the circle, more animals threw out bizarre suggestions.

"My cousin taught me jumping-jackals."

"I massage my ears during coffee break."

"Same here."

"I trim my claws."

"I polish my horn."

"I stretch my trunk out."

The maned wolf spoke up. "I braid my mane."

 _Alright, this was just getting ridiculous._ None of these suggestions were of any use to me.

After we nearly completed the circle of life, I was at the end of it. The instructor turned to face me. "And what about you Mr. Chenry?"

"It's Cherry." I corrected. The cadets mockingly sniggered in the background.

The instructor folded his arms, swinging his tail back and forth. "What do you do when you're stressed?"

"I go for a walk."

The cheetah's ear twitched. "Doesn't your species do something more creative?"

I shook my head. "No, we do something more normal."

The cadets murmured and whispered at each other. Apparently, my idea wasn't creative or exotic enough for them. They seemed to take offense to it. I would've said 'shooting' but that response wouldn't go well.

On the next day, we had the same classroom setup. Namely, a cheetah instructor, circular seating arrangement, and cadets who kept staring at me like an alien. The maned wolf, in particular, glared at me from the opposite end of the room.

"Cadets! Today, we focus on what makes each and every one of us unique." the cheetah began to lecture. "After the adoption of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, Zootopia has witnessed one of the greatest periods of growth and diversity ever since the Great Migration. Big and small, predator and prey, our ancestors all came to the ancient watering hole to establish everlasting peace and harmony for generations to come. As officers of the ZPD, it is our core responsibility to come together as one and use our special abilities for the greater good of Zootopia. Now, just like last time, let's take turns sharing one of our unique abilities and how it would help the ZPD! Shout em out!"

"I have a keen sense of smell," a wolf commented. "I can detect gas leaks."

A raccoon raised his paw. "I've got night vision! Perfect for night patrol!"

"My family and I can jump to high places," a young kangaroo demonstrated, jumping up from his seat to touch the ceiling. "So I can scale most fences."

"I'm stealthy on my legs," a snow leopard stated proudly. "That means I can patrol the streets undetected."

"I was the fastest one in my track," a cheetah grinned. "I can close the distance on foot chases."

A rhino huffed. "My brother and I were bouncers. No one could get past us so we'd be great for crowd control."

"I'm a good swimmer," a hippo remarked. "I'd be useful for the flooded regions of rainforest district."

A goat nervously laughed. "I love to climb! Definitely lots of steep terrain in Zootopia."

"I can lift cars, probably police cars too" a female elephant flexed her trunk. "I helped my neighbor in Tundratwon when his car got stuck."

"My hearing is on par," a black bear pointed at his head. "I can hear distress calls from those in need."

"I speak with an authoritative voice, just like my father," a lion puffed out his chest. "I can comfortably address packs, herds, and flocks."

All eyes were now fixated on me.

The cheetah instructor looked at me carefully. "And what about you, Chenry?"

"Military experience," I answered.

The instructor was confused. "Could you...Could you elaborate on that?"

I shook my head. "No, I'll pass."

From there, we continued on with the rest of the lecture. The content was rich with Zootopian history, all animals were mentioned as societal contributors, but a human was an odd piece out of the complex puzzle.

While we were in the hallways, heading over to our next lecture across the academy, the maned wolf approached my side.

"The _only_ unique ability you have is putting us in the hospital." he glared. "I've seen the footage."

I sighed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

The base of his muzzle wrinkled. "Yet, you're mistaken," he growled. "Your attitude alone is why you don't belong here."

I set my books down, held out my arms. "What's your problem?"

 _"My problem?_ You're everyone's problem. You went savage at the ZPD and now I can't sleep at night knowing you'll go savage here."

"That was only _one time."_ I reminded.

 _"One time?_ One time is too many," he said with hostility. "If there's even a one percent chance you'll do it again, then I'll take it as an absolute certainty."

"First, you're subpar at math. Second, I won't lash out again," I took a step closer, staring him down. "You can be sure of that."

"We'll see..." he growled lowly, his teeth bared. "It's only a matter of time...and when that happens, I'll be there to protect my friends. _I'm not afraid of you."_

"Good to know."

Upon hearing this, the maned wolf toppled my books over like a Jenga tower. I bent over to pick them up but he stood on top of them.

"You'll _never_ be part of the pack," he pointed. "Go back to your dying world."

 _If only I could, you pathetic meat sack._ I wanted to punch him but I had to hold myself together. As a substitute, I crumbled up one of my books. It was on Tax Law so I didn't care much for it anyway.

After a tense moment of silence, the maned wolf ran off to catch up with the other cadets, leaving me alone in the hallway. _What a lousy wolf._ Man's best friend can also be Man's worst enemy under certain conditions, I supposed.

Speaking of friends, my helmet vibrated. Either I was having another headache or someone sent me a message. I opened the inbox, decrypted the message, to see that it came from someone I hadn't seen in a while. 

It was Jay Howl.

The same black wolf I met in the Bunnyburrows forest. _What a relief._ Not only was he and his family the first wolves I've met in this world, but they were also the most friendly creatures I've ever known. The best pack in Zootopia.

With no further time to waste, I sat down on a nearby bench to pull up Jay's message. A koala bear janitor was taking a nap on the opposite end of the bench but I was careful as to not wake him. Trying to keep quiet, I pulled up the message:

 **Jay Howl:** _Cherry, hope you're doing okay! My family and I heard you're joining the ZPD and we're so excited for you! We're in the area and wanted to come and say hello! Would that be okay?_

Finally, a wolf I was looking forward to seeing. It's been over a month and I could use a friendly visit. Navigating my HUD, I effectively replied to Jay:

 **Cherry:** _That would be great._

A few seconds later, his reply came in.

**Jay Howl:** _Wonderful! Jamie, Joseph, and I will be at the entrance by 12:00 PM. See you then!_

I checked the clock across the hallway and saw that it was 10:06 AM. About two more hours of Hell and I'll be able to take a break and meet one of the greatest families of Zootopia. Our cadet group was scheduled to scale the frigid ice wall at 11:00 AM so there was plenty of time. 

We took the pop quiz, I probably failed it, but I was out the door before everyone else. We went for a three-mile run before we all regrouped at the ice obstacle course.

The beavers repaired the ice machines so it was all ready to go. They outdid themselves in such a way that the ice wall had mistakenly grown well over thirty feet. There was a minor miscalibration on one of the cooling machines but the Major figured it'd be a perfect challenge for us. The officers groaned but I could care less either way. 

It was just a wall made of ice. Nothing to it.

I waited for the officers to go first to avoid repeating the first incident. They all bolted ahead of me while I scanned the icy ground to make sure I didn't slip. From the bottom of my boots, I deployed nano spikes to give me traction.

I had no natural claws, fangs, or fur but I had mankind's technology to aid me. These military nano suits were built to emulate the natural advantages animals had over us. Physically, we weren't born with special abilities but we could at least imagine them with our minds and adapt.

To avoid wrecking the ice, I made the nano spikes smaller but thick enough to keep me from sliding. The nanites were working like a charm - at least for today.

The cadets were already climbing up the wall base and I immediately caught up to them. The timberwolves were frantically digging their claws to avoid sliding into the freezing water while the rhino rammed his horn into the ice to help him scale it.

"Get a load of this guy..." one of the bear cadets saw I wasn't slipping, turned to his friend. "Where's a banana peel when you need one?"

I scoffed at their remarks and deployed spikes from my gauntlet fingertips. It actually worked. Eager to get to the top, I jumped onto the vertical wall of ice and stuck to it. Like a human spider, I climbed up the thirty-foot wall and reached the top. The cadet's reactions were priceless.

"You gotta be kidding me..."

_"What?"_

"How'd he do that?"

From someone who slipped a couple of days ago, they couldn't grasp how I pulled it off. I sat on top for five minutes, feeling proud, enjoying the view. But then I felt somewhat guilty. No one else had climbed the wall, so I felt inclined to help out.

One of the bear's arms vibrated from exhaustion so I pulled him up and over. One of the rhinos was nearing the ledge so I grabbed him by the horns to hoist him up. It was a team effort. One-by-one, cadet after cadet, we were making progress on the ice wall. 

The maned wolf was nearing the top so I left him alone. However, I heard him struggling and panting for breath. Every claw on his limbs was fully unsheathed, he was hanging on for dear life, and he needed help. 

"Here," I reached down. "Let me help."

"I don't need your help, back off!" he searched a different place to grip. "I can do this on my own!"

Full of desperation, low on energy, he sought another way to proceed but couldn't find it. It was a thirty-foot drop and there was no going back.

"Stop distracting me!" he growled.

I looked away. The maned wolf took a deep breath and lunged upward. He successfully dug his claws into the ice ledge but his legs buckled. As he slipped, I attempted to catch him last-minute in the midst of his resistance. My gauntlet barely gripped him but it was too late.

He fell straight down and smashed into the frozen ground.

_Great..._

In a heartbeat, we slid down the wall and rushed over to him. 

The maned wolf's wrist was shattered, his ankle twisted, and he had multiple abrasions along the side of his forearm where tiny drops of blood were seen oozing out. I checked my fingertips to see that they also had red droplets. My nano claws must've broken the skin under his fur when I attempted to grab him.

"Argh! _What was that for?"_ he yelped. "Look what you've done!"

"Alright, cadets!" the Major pushed through the crowd. "What's the deal here?"

It didn't take long before all eyes were on me. Most of the cadets, especially the maned wolf, pointed fingers in my direction. _Seriously?_ It was just a scratch. I was only trying to help him. 

With shame, I retracted my nano claws. 

_"Cherry!_ You come with me!" the Major blew her whistle.

"But-"

"Now!" she barked, gesturing to the other cadets. "The rest of you! Regroup at the rainforest vines!"

Two ZMT armadillos treated the maned wolf while the cadets slowly filed their way out of the area. A hippo, tiger, and jaguar gave me a hard time.

"Way to go, freak." 

"Not cool!" 

"Pick on someone your own size." a tiger cadet pushed my chest, nearly knocking me over.

Out of indignation, I retaliated by pushing him back, causing him to fall into the arms of his colleagues. That got me into more trouble because Major Friedkin saw me do it.

The other cadets got in my face, bonked shoulders with me, and stormed off. Of course, they did those things when the Major wasn't looking. _How unlucky of me._

Three minutes later, the polar bear led me into the main office where other academy officials awaited. The animals that were higher up in authority.

Most of them were small prey and I could tell that they felt unsettled by my presence. Regardless, they were direct with their words. Though their 'Seek-to-understand' protocol was beyond patronizing, at least they obtained my side of the story.

For over thirty minutes, they reviewed my campus approval ratings. The numbers decreased by an average of 6% on a weekly basis. _Were they really keeping track?_ They were more concerned than I could ever care for.

As a consequence, they placed me into numerous long therapy sessions. They were designed to help me settle down but they seemed to do the opposite. I just wanted to be left alone but they kept saying that it wasn't good for me to be alone.

After hearing two pandas chat nonstop about breathing techniques, I checked my HUD to see that it was already 12:06 PM. Time to reunite with the Howl family. The three black wolves were already waiting outside.

Thus, I stood up from the yoga mat - that I somehow ended up on - and approached the exit. Two uniformed elephant guards held up their trunks to stop me. They insisted that I finished the temporal rehab but I brushed them off.

"Sir, you must stay," the elephant called from behind, trying to escort me back. "You've got five more sessions remaining."

I pushed aside his trunk. "I don't have time for this rubbish."

Stepping out into the hallway, I was crowded by animals of all different shapes and sizes. From a fidgety sheep doctor to a spindly giraffe therapist and more. But w _hy were they here?_ Evidently, they were all lined up, anxiously waiting their turn to conduct a session with me. How patronizing.

As I pushed through them, moving across the long corridor, most scattered while others wouldn't scatter. Some tried to stop me but there wasn't much they could do. In particular, a silver fur rabbit with black stripes and an arctic fox approached but I closed the door behind me before they could reach me.

I went down another hallway and took a sharp right, hoping to find an alternative exit. It wasn't very promising.

The entire office building went into full lockdown mode and I tightened my fists at how ridiculous this whole situation was. I just wanted to see the wolf family. But instead, I got surrounded by frantic police academy directors.

"Mr. Cherry, _please_ , you must cooperate." a well-dressed camel approached. "We want you on our side."

I scoffed at him. "Doesn't seem like it."

"Then let us help you, _please,_ " he begged. "This is a serious matter and we must address it immediately."

"Later," I said. "I've got visitors."

The camel shook his neck. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Cherry."

I folded my arms and glared. "Excuse me?"

"You're not permitted to have outside visitors at this time. Not until you improve your public behavior first."

"And who's going to stop me? You?"

"No sir, not me. But you."

"What?"

"You signed an agreement before you got here." he pulled out a binder to unveil a stack of documents. "You agreed to all the terms and conditions of the Zootopia Police Academy. Including the statutes attached to your foreign status. "

"Give me that." I swiped the papers from his hooves and was about to tear them.

"I have copies on file," he interjected. "And don't forget, Hopps and Wilde signed those forms with you."

He had to be lying. I unraveled the wrinkled documents and opened them up. To my disappointment, all three signatures were there. I remembered signing these documents but I failed to read the fine print. 

While the camel and his associates stared intently, I reread the documents line-by-line, precept-by-precept. These were more regulations than I thought. Of course, I figured that my guns could do the talking but the camel's son was right there. I just couldn't do it.

In utter defeat, I gave the documents back to the camel.

"Please don't give me that look," he said. "I'm not the bad guy trying to spit in your face. I'm just a middle-mammal."

At that point, I didn't feel like arguing anymore. It wasn't worth it. If there was one thing I missed from my world it was that animals didn't talk back. _Oh, how I missed it._

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the camel's office where he had the temperature cranked up by over a hundred degrees. From there, he conducted a series of mental tests to see if I was still fit for the academy. They came back as inconclusive because he didn't know how to read me. He summoned a snow leopard psychologist but she too was unable to obtain accurate readings.

After we wasted that entire afternoon, being held in the office against my will, I missed the visit from Jay Howl's family. They were worried sick, I tried to respond to their messages, but my helmet's messaging system was malfunctioning. Jay, being such a forgiving wolf, told me it would be alright and that we could try again next time. Regardless, I was beyond frustrated with the academy directors. I pounded my fist on one of their wooden desks, causing the ornate design to crack.

Surprisingly, they wouldn't kick me out. But I remained guilty for injuring the maned wolf cadet and causing property damage to the academy. As a result, they decided to transfer me to different dorms, away from the maned wolf. 

I thought it'd be smoother sailing from here on but it wasn't.

My new roommates weren't much better than the ones I had before. Though they initially feared me upon arrival, they eventually got comfortable enough to team up against me.

On my first night, one of the bears put honey on my pillow, causing it to stick to my helmet. The cotton got everywhere and took two days to clear it all up.

Six nights in, they drew whiskers and a unibrow on my helmet's visor. Of course, they had to use a permanent marker which took an entire bucket of warm water to rinse.

For over a week, they whipped me with wet towels whenever I wasn't looking. It didn't hurt, as they thought it would, but it got my panties in a bunch. Especially when it happened six times a day.

In the lunchroom, they took the lid off of a nearby salt shaker, causing me to inadvertently dump the whole thing on my organic potato fries. I went to get a replacement from the cafeteria but the cadets purposely finished them off.

When I came back to the table, my water glass had pieces of fur in it. The cafeteria had no lids so I had to keep an eye on my drink at all times.

Before I could take a bite out of the corn cob, I felt something splatter against the back of my helmet. I reached back to see that someone had flung pudding from across the room. The animals behind me laughed uncontrollably but I couldn't find the perp who did it. 

As I cleaned up the food tray, walking it over to the trash bin, my vision went temporarily blind with a yellow screen. I rubbed it away to see an elephant holding a smashed mustard bottle between his nails.

"Oops, sorry about that," he said casually.

I said nothing. All I did was grab a handful of napkins, started wiping away my visor, and walked away. For his own sake, that better have been an accident. Yellow mustard on white armor was terribly time-consuming to clean up.

Hopefully, the next day would improve.

During our weapons training class, I highly despised the tranquilizers. They were weak, pathetic, and had terrible reload times. In my hands, they felt and shot like a toy nerf gun. But it was the ZPD's best standard issue field weapon. 

I turned to the honey badger weapons instructor. "You got any 9 mm?"

"Nine-what?" he looked confused.

"9 mm."

He placed a paw under his chin. "I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and assume you mean this."

The badger pulled out a box and placed it into my hand. I opened it but saw that it was only nine-millimeter long needles. _I should've guessed that._

All we had to do next was shoot a rubber mammal-sized target from thirty feet away. Beyond that, ZPD tranquilizer darts didn't have an effective range. But before we could fire our weapon, we had to give three verbal warnings to the target. That's what the instructor insisted.

This was why I loved being a soldier. Just point and shoot. None of this grey-area police B.S.

They had me demonstrate so I took aim and pulled the trigger. To my far left, Major Friedkin pulled the dart out of her bum and fell down unconscious. _What in the world?_

Later that day, the officials gave me a second warning and assigned me extra chores. I later found out that the cadets modified the barrel of the tranquilizer pistol. Oh, I hated those guys.

During one of my chores, they assigned me to clean up the outdoor shooting range. Without any bullet casings in Zootopia, the only thing to clean up was dust and animal hairs. In the background, lighting and thunder cracked the air while I dusted the pavement with a broom.

Out in the distance, the rubber sized animal targets were still standing on the grass lot, soaking under the rain. Feeling bored, I pulled out my phaser pistol and aimed it. Waiting for the next lightning strike, I fired a lethal shot when the timing was right. The target was obliterated, burning fragments littered the shooting range, bringing me satisfaction.

The pouring rain doused the flames but I had to quickly clean up the ash before one of the animals came in to check on me. As soon as I swept it all up, the maned wolf came around the corner.

"Did I hear something?" he asked suspiciously, folding his arms.

I casually went over to the nearby disposal bin to dump the ashes. "No, just the lightning."

His ear irritably twitched. "What's all that black stuff then?"

I took a deep breath. "Black bears."

_"Black bears?"_

"Yes."

He gave a long, steady glare. "With you around, no wonder they're not here, freak."

After giving me a few snarls, he turned around and went the other away. _That was a close one._

On the next night, the rain continued to pour in bucketloads. The power went out so we remained in our dorms waiting for the storm to pass. Lightning cracked the sky at random intervals, causing one of the officers to wake up in fright.

"GAH! What was that?" a tiger jumped for the third time.

I lifted my head, feeling annoyed. " _It's only thunder._ Go back to sleep."

"No, no! It's not that!" he panicked. " There's _something_ under my bed!"

"No there isn't."

"Cherry, please! I know it's there! Please check!" he grew increasingly frantic. "I think there's a monster under my bed!"

Probably a raccoon, I thought.

While the cadets were sound asleep, I crept my way over to the tiger's bunkbed to check under the covers. I looked underneath but only saw a mirror.

I glared back at the tiger and he burst out laughing.

"Haha, very funny..." I said in a deadpan tone, punching at my own reflection. " _Very_... _funny_..."

On the following day, there wasn't much improvement. Cadets passed around exaggerated fliers indicating that a white, blue-eyed monster was on the loose at the academy via paper or electronic means. I tried to crumble up as many fliers as I could but they were like a hydra. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.

Later that evening, bear cadets gathered on the lawn to watch _Beauty and the Wildebeest_ on one of the outdoor projectors. Camp chairs and wooden park benches were neatly organized around the screen.

I was walking my way back to the dorms when one of them called out. "Yo, Chair-bear!"

I stopped to turn around.

"Hey, you're looking a little tired. Why don't you sit down over here?" the big Grizz offered.

"Yeah, come join us for a movie." another beckoned. "We saved ya a spot."

"Thought you'd never ask." I accepted the invitation. 

There was an empty seat between the two of them. Both had large buckets of popcorn so it seemed like an ideal spot. I sat myself down, only to hear a loud farting sound. I checked under my rear to see they had strategically placed an oversized whoopie cushion. The entire audience erupted in nonstop cackles so I walked away, feeling ashamed.

Perhaps tomorrow would be better.

Early in the morning, a team of tigers was playing ultimate frisbee. I tried to ignore them but they were eyeing me down.

One of the tigers ran up to me. "You're Charles Henry, right?"

"Just call me Cherry."

"Would you like to play with us? We could use an extra mammal." he warmly invited.

"Sure, why not."

"Alright, it's your serve." he tossed me a frisbee.

I caught the frisbee between my chest and arm. It had pink stripes on it, how lovely. Were these guys feminine or something? 

The tigers positioned themselves on the grass field, waiting for my throw, but I couldn't hold the frisbee for some reason. It was stuck to my chest. 

I tried to lift it but thick, sticky yellow goo was oozing from the sides. _Pine tree sap?_ _Great._ The tigers roared in laughter, gave each other chest bumps, and ran away. Now I had a pink plastic frisbee glued to my chest. 

When no one was looking, I spent the rest of the evening scraping it off my armor. The nanoblade did the trick in removing the broken plastic but it took over an hour to wash off all the sticky sap. Our showers were timed so it took me three shower tokens.

On the next day, we gathered at the Marshlands obstacle course for a new lesson. Major Friedkin was running late so we chilled over by the ice wall until she arrived. It was pouring rain, the area became muddy, but that didn't stop me from meditating.

"Mr. Chenry!" a jaguar cadet greeted, interrupting my meditation. "Good morning to you, my multi-blue-eyed friend!"

" _It's Cherry."_ I sighed.

"Sorry about that," he said with dismissal. "But hey, we were wondering... how far can you kick?"

"Depends," I shrugged. "Who am I kicking?"

"How about a soccer ball?" he held up. "Show us what you've got!"

The cadets eagerly gave me some space while the jaguar knelt on the wet ground to hold the soccer ball. I never liked the sport which meant I would give that ball some hell.

"Kick it right over that mountain!" one of them pointed. "You got this! Come on!"

I darted forward, went for the legendary kick, but my boot struck nothing.

"Sike!" the jaguar pulled the ball back. 

My entire body slipped, fell backward, and I was all covered in thick mud. The officers just couldn't contain their obnoxious hysterics. Not one bit. They pointed and mocked in ways that left me completely disgruntled.

The officers at the actual ZPD were never like this. Why couldn't I get them instead?

Later that evening, I sat alone at the cafeteria table. We had steamed potatoes for dinner. Most of my armor had been rinsed with a garden hose but small chunks of dried mud remained stuck between the joints. With nothing else to do, I grabbed my butter knife and began flicking away pieces.

As I was doing this, a lion cadet approached.

"Hello," he greeted, taking a seat next to me.

I ignored him.

"You doing okay?" he asked, seemingly concerned.

"Could be better," I said plainly.

He stared down at the floor. "I'm sorry about what happened to you today."

I lifted my shoulders. "It's whatever."

He paused for a few seconds. "You deserve better treatment than that."

Couldn't agree more. At least someone else agreed.

"Here, I brought you something..." he said, pulling out a red soda can. "...to take the edge off."

It was a sparkling cherry flavor. One of my favorites. I could tell this cadet was a good mammal.

"Thanks," I nodded, feeling more hopeful.

With much haste and thirst, I popped the seal open.

The contents exploded in my hands. Concentrated beams of soda shot in all directions, mostly in the face, completely soaking me from head to toe.

The lion fell from his chair, rolled on the floor, laughing. Everyone else in the lunchroom saw what happened, joined in, and completely lost it as well. _He set me up._

 _They could all go to hell._ I chucked the dripping soda can across the cafeteria and left. What a disgrace these animals would've been to the Stratocracy. No wonder they went extinct in my world.

Whenever I went to bed, I often dreamed of going back to my old world. But it only gave me nightmares the more I thought about it. Thus, there was nowhere else for me to go. My past life was filled with fear but now my current life was filled with disrespect. 

Apparently, this world didn't have respect for war veterans because they've never had any before. As a placeholder, I would've taken fear but the animals here were getting used to me. But not in a good way. Without using my weapons, there was no way I could demand respect anymore.

_Oh, why did I sign those papers?_

These animals were lucky that I signed a truce. If only they knew what would happen if either of us broke it. No matter, I had to keep my composure.

The next day, I was actually craving a soda. In fact, I felt desirous to drink one that wasn't shaken up by an insolent lion. I had two quarters so why not?

Approaching the vending machine, I inserted the first quarter but the second one dropped, rolling away into the corner. Big deal. I went over to pick it up but a male polar bear cadet got to it first. he was the same one who threw a pie at my face three days ago.

I extended my hand. _"Give it to me."_

He examined the coin, squinting his eyes. "Or what? Tough guy?"

Ten threats came to mind. But I didn't want to cause trouble. "Just give it to me."

"You want it?" he pulled out a tiny container, squirted clear gel on the coin, and pressed it onto the floor. "Come and get it."

He disappeared through the double doors, leaving me all alone. I bent over to pick up the coin but it was super glued stuck. Instead of breaking the vending machine glass, I began scraping the floor. It was no use.

I tried hacking the vending machine but it had a mechanical design. Fed up, I punched the floor repeatedly until the coin broke loose. I finally got my soda but before I could take a sip, one of the academy directors, a cougar, was standing right behind me. He saw what I did to the floor and reported me.

Of course, he wouldn't believe my story.

To add insult to injury, the maned wolf had healed from his wounds the next day. He was back in action.

Though I didn't see him much, his popular influence continued to spread across the academy. He inspired other animals to unite against the human. It was no longer just my roommates anymore. It felt like everyone.

He and other fellow cadets kept complaining to me about nightmares. I had nightmares too so why did that matter? _Everyone has nightmares._

But they claimed that I was the source of their nightmares. A furless, earless, tailless, and emotionless freak. I could understand why they would say that but it was quite hurtful when repeated over a dozen times. Hardly any of them had the courage to say it to my face. At least the maned wolf wasn't afraid to say it.

No matter, I kept my distance from them. They weren't worth it. I was tired of overhearing their constant gossip and name-calling.

Later that evening, we had a few games of soccer. _Everyone's favorite._ Though I disliked the sport, I felt like playing to relieve stress. Times were tough so I figured why not. Rugby would've been nice but soccer would have to do.

I attempted to join teams but no one wanted me to join. They'd pick me last or run off somewhere else to play. Ostensibly, it was due to me stepping on their tails. I didn't have a tail so I couldn't understand their pain.

With nothing else to do and no one to hang out with, I just went to the gym and lifted weights for the evening. That's what I did for all other days moving forward.

I used to only go for thirty minutes but that soon turned to two hours each day. It didn't make me happy but it kept me somewhat stable. My arm muscles increased in size but my heart muscles felt like they were decreasing.

Outside of the gym, whenever the opportunity presented itself, the cadets would intervene on obstacle courses and also during exams. They did it not only to mock but to get their mind off of how scary I was. They figured that if I caused their nightmares, then they ought to mess with me until I gave up. In other words, to drive the monster away from the academy.

On one occasion, their actions led to a serious altercation at the rainforest obstacle course. We got into a heated disagreement over who knocked over one of the wooden log towers. I was standing at the bottom when the structure tipped over and multiple cadets were limping away from the wreckage. Tired of being blamed for everything, I almost threw a lethal punch at the maned wolf but three polar bear cadets restrained me. The academy officials were summoned once more and they gave me a final written warning. 

Anything more and I'd be kicked from the academy. That meant no opportunity to become a police officer and definitely no chance at becoming a data scientist.

Worse of all, the cadets knew this. They were well aware that any more blunders on my part would result in expulsion. The ZBI would take over and I'd be kept under a constant radar. From there on, their furry minds mobilized everything that they got.

In desperation, I kept quiet and maintained my distance from all the animals. They tried to get closer but I moved away. They would taunt or insult but I didn't speak back. It was too risky. They even tried to get me to come to the boxing ring but I refused their offers. It was a setup to get me out of here.

As time went on, I sat in the empty back row of every classroom. I was always the last one out of the obstacle courses and I distanced myself away from the animals whenever we did warm-up drills on the grass lawn.

The Major assigned us to workout groups but I was the odd one out. I worried about stepping on their tails while they feared being with an unpredictable alien. For those that didn't fear me as much, they took every chance to get me out of here. I had no choice but to stay away from them. Far away.

To make matters worse, Judy and Nick were swamped with work. They tried to visit me, as often as occasion would permit, but Zootopia had one of its busiest times of the year. It was all paws on deck. 

They tried to schedule a visit but I kept telling them that I was fine. When they pushed, I settled for virtual visits and nothing more. With so much material to study, I made sure they were short and brief. They insisted on longer video calls but I pretended that my camera wasn't working. 

They sent more messages but I gradually ignored them. Partly because they were distracting and I couldn't reply with a glitchy HUD. Jay sent motivational messages but I didn't feel like responding. Cody and Hazel asked how I was doing but I didn't answer them either. Instead, I chose to focus on tomorrow's quizzes. One was on Zootopia Investigative Procedures (ZIP) while the other was on Sloth Interrogation Techniques (SIT).

After I took the quizzes the next day, I immediately regretted last night's decisions. Both quizzes ended up being on material that I never studied. Two hours of study, a twenty-minute quiz, and another failure.

To recover, I was craving chocolate. My depressed mind begged for it.

And I knew just the place. The cadets spoke about it on a few occasions.

The cafeteria moose chef would always bake chocolate mousse cake on Fridays. Cadets claimed it was homemade and brought tremendous joy to the tastebuds. Nothing but the best. They even said that the chef once worked for palm hotel and a few celebrities of Zootopia. Hearing all this made me more eager to try his delicious recipe.

However, by the time I got there, the cadets had already finished all sixteen cake trays - leaving me with nothing but dried crumbs. I attempted to pop one crumb into my mouth but an elephant cadet sucked them all up with his trunk. 

I figured there was always next Friday until I overheard from one of the jaguar cadets that the moose chef was retiring. Today was his last day.

 _Way to rub salt in the wound_ , I grumbled.

Now I was stuck with the academy's repetitive cafeteria food. Since I kept my distance from all the cadets, I always arrived when it was cold. I tried to microwave it at times but the texture usually became unsavory.

The artificial bug meat had a reputation for being healthy but that's all that was going for it. They cut costs on the additional seasonings and anything that remained was quickly used up.

On top of that, the dorms smelled absolutely terrible. The animal fur and sweat made the interior reek like a zoo. On some days, it smelled like someone turned on a crockpot and filled it with Campbell's clam chowder and about six rolls of dirty pennies. On other days, it smelled like the Predator's dreadlocks with blue-green algae.

I popped a window open while studying but someone else would close it because it was too cold for them. I borrowed someone's body spray, hoping it would get rid of the smell, but it only made it worse. Turns out, that body spray belonged to one of the skunk janitors.

With the Species Diversity test looming overhead, I had to improvise my study environment because I was falling behind. I tried to study in the library but all the seats were taken. The cafeteria didn't work because the panthers and elephants had their yoga session in the evening. The bleachers in the boxing ring weren't an option due to the building being locked.

Thus, I found a nearby tree and sat against the trunk. The low light conditions made it hard to see the textbooks, especially with the early sunset, so I activated my helmet's flashlight. All was well.

Until the sprinklers turned on.

At that point, I was done. I decided to head to bed and hope for another disappointing day tomorrow. As I tried to get up, my body struggled. The same arm that got injured from the razorbacks was now throbbing again. On top of that, I had one of the worst migraines in a while. _What was wrong with me?_

I eventually pulled myself up from the ground but every step I took felt like someone was chucking a rock at my forehead. In desperate need of water, I crawled my way over to one of the sprinkler heads and partook.

For the rest of the night, sleep couldn't find me.

We went on a six-mile run first thing in the morning, followed by three laps on the Zootopian District obstacle courses, and I limped like a zombie the entire time. At one point, I fell flat on the ground but everyone ran straight past me. No one saw me or asked how I was doing.

I felt lonely and misunderstood.

If I dropped dead, then would anyone notice? I had no idea. All I knew was that the animals would probably take my body, dissect it, and use it for research purposes.

But I did my best to dismiss those thoughts. I had to think positively but it was all a struggle.

Nightmares came more frequently, causing me to not sleep well anymore. Three days passed but nothing changed for the better.

My eyes sagged beneath the helmet, studying for another exam on felony tax evasion was nearly impossible, and the motivation wasn't there anymore. Other exams followed but my mind was too exhausted. Everyone except me seemed to understand the material being taught.

It was all so discouraging, I felt that the maned wolf was right. _I didn't belong here._

I came from a world where I failed to fully understand animals. I figured this place could've been a great opportunity to finally understand them. Yet, I failed to do that very thing.

Exam and quiz scores were posted on a weekly basis but they were too painful to view. The questions themselves were not hard by any means but my mind was falling apart. I second-guessed myself and doubted my retention abilities.

Over the next two days, I was dispirited by my lack of progress. I struggled at the same checkpoints on obstacle courses, I fell behind in daily runs, and I felt more alone than ever. The cadets continued to treat me like an outcast while I slowly decayed from the inside out. 

My lack of outer expressions must've given them the false impression that I was either fine or unphased. Deep down, there was a human face behind the mask and they didn't know it. The very thing that kept my true identity a secret was the same thing that was slowly killing it.

For over three weeks, I hadn't spoken a single word to anyone at the academy. I only kept my mouth shut, my head down, and did as the majors instructed me. 

In my world, humans did all the talking while the animals obeyed. Here, it was the opposite. The animals were doing all the talking while I silently obeyed.

Like an animal in my world, I could do all the physical tricks but I was unable to perform well in academics. Instead of lifting books, I lifted weights. It was the only thing that kept me busy and shifted my mind away from all the negativity.

Truthfully, I spent too much alone time at the gym. My triceps grew large enough that the armor around them began to constrict. But I kept going and going as if I were programmed to do it forever. Because I was at the gym for most evenings, I usually had the entire place to myself. There was no one else to interact with.

Externally, my body grew. Internally, my body decayed. As I continued lifting for the next two hours, my palms became moist. I couldn't tell if it was sweat, blood, or tears anymore. 

The agony finally settled into my sore arms and my body dramatically dropped the weights. Unable to do more, I decided to head back to the dorms. Might as well prepare for another depressing day tomorrow, filled with disappointment and perhaps another failed test.

The bottom of my boots scraped against the pavement, my feet dragged, and my head hung low. I didn't want to be here anymore but there was nowhere else to go. My world was gone, the city of Zootopia saw me as a freak, and this academy was filled with soon-to-be police officers who would probably lock me up anyway.

_Oh, how I hated this place._

_Why was I here?_

I was too tired to answer. Mentally, physically, emotionally, and maybe even spiritually.

Who would've thought that being the only human in an animal-ruled world would be so depressing? Every dragging step I took, I lost further hope.

Maybe I should just quit? I was only putting everyone in danger with my unstable mind.

The further I walked, the slower I moved. My mind kept wandering.

Feeling thirsty for water, I approached the dorms but the doors were locked. _Again._

I searched for my spare key but I left it inside. _Again._ I knocked on the door for someone to answer but no one came. Even if someone was inside, they wouldn't answer the door for me anyway. After peeking inside, I saw that no one was there.

We were only thirty minutes away from lights out at 10:30 PM and the cadets were already late. All I could do now was wait. But as I stood there, I saw lights emanating from across the lawn. They were medium-sized searchlights swinging back and forth in the night sky.

My initial thoughts labeled them as military lights that were trying to search for an enemy aircraft in the night sky. Of course, my species would've used radar to avoid giving away a ground position.

But these lights were purposely positioned to stand out. As I focused in on them, I spotted multiple bouquets of blue and gold balloons tied around a giant portable blue tent on a lawn near the academy entrance. Pop music erupted from the speakers and I could tell that some sort of party was going on.

_Oh, for Pete's sake... that_ _would keep me up all night..._

_Why would anyone have a party at this hour?_

I took a step forward and found a colorful blue flier on the ground. After bending over to pick it up, it read as:

_WE CORDIALLY INVITE YOU  
to celebrate  
The 107th Anniversary  
of  
The Zootopian Police Department_

_Whatever,_ I thought. The actual celebration was yesterday, according to the flier date, so tonight must've been an after-party of some sort. I was sure glad no one ever told me because I never liked parties anyway. The least I could do was sneak in, grab water, and head out. Bonus points if they actually had ice cubes.

I made my way towards the tent to enter. _Goodness, this place was completely packed._

If I had to guess, the interior was filled with over 300 animals of different species. All of them were happily dancing to the party music. Elephants swung their trunks back and forth, wolves howled into the moonlight, lions proudly roared, and the rest of the animals danced with their tails.

Immediately, I pulled my hood over while making my way towards the drink stand.

The floors were lined with wooden panels and bright LED lights that cycled through flamboyant colors. The tent canopy had hundreds of blue string lights, multiple subwoofer speakers, and a few flat-screen T.V.s broadcasting a live concert. 

Truly, these animals were going all out. Sure, they were having fun but parties were a waste of money.

I found a wooden stool in front of the drink stand and sat down. Out of nowhere, a little black-footed ferret with a blue bowtie came running across the countertop.

"What can I get you to drink tonight, sir?" he said excitedly, clasping his paws together. "We've got blackberry shrub, tomato-lime sipper, raspberry fizz, iced melon tea, and blueberry smoothies! Nothing but the best in Zootopia!"

"Just water."

His ears drooped back in disappointment. " _Water? T_ _hat's it?"_

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

I impatiently tapped my fingers along the table, saying nothing.

With hesitation, he filled a plastic blue cup and slid it towards my gauntlet. "Here you are...sir."

I reached for a plastic straw so that I could sip from the cup. 

The curious ferret tilted his head upside down, trying to peek under the hood. _"Whoa_ , what exactly... are you?"

 _"Don't. Bother."_ I said in a low, angry voice.

His went stiff in mild fright, causing him to back up slowly.

"Yo, Travis!" a cheetah cadet called from the other end of the table. "Another round, please!"

The little ferret shook away his thoughts and scurried over to help him. While I sipped from my drink, the animals continued to dance joyfully in the background. Not only were there cadets from the academy but there appeared to be other outside visitors as well. In fact, a third of these animals I've never seen before.

"Hey, it's our space Officer Cherry!" a familiar voice called out.

I turned around to see a red fox take a seat next to me. He wore his casual greet shirt and blue tie.

"Nick?" I almost couldn't believe it. 

"Buddy, it's nice to see ya." he patted me on the back and smirked. "Carrots and I have been worried sick."

I kept quiet, continually sipping my water. The party music was loud enough to discourage me from wanting to have a conversation.

Nick leaned in closer. "Haven't you heard of texting?" he asked.

I let out a tired sigh. "I've been busy."

"So have we," he shrugged. "But we squeeze a few messages your way, so how come you don't?"

Struggling to come up with a better reason, my honesty came forth. "Maybe I don't feel like texting."

He tilted his head, expressing concern. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Just... the usual." I paused for a moment to look around, hoping to change the subject. "Is Judy here? I didn't see her."

His ear perked up. "Carrots wanted to come but she rolled her ankle yesterday," the fox facepalmed. "How unlucky, right?"

"What happened?"

"There was a shooting at the school and she-"

 _"What?"_ I tensed up. _"Shooting?"_

"Relax, buddy." he held up both paws. It was just a film shoot. What'd you think I said?"

I loosened up. "Right... continue."

"So there was a _film shooting_ at the school," he explained. "She was gonna get interviewed for a school project, but she tripped on one of the camera cords."

"Camera cords?"

"Yep, you can imagine how embarrassed the poor little kiddo got." the fox laughed. "But Officer Fluff will be back on the streets in no time. I'm picking her up tomorrow morning."

I nodded at the fox, taking additional sips from the water. My fevered head continued to throb. The loud music wasn't helping.

"What's with the hood?" Nick asked, sliding it off my head. "Sorry buddy, you've never been very good with disguises. Isn't that silly helmet enough?"

 _"Nick, please,"_ I became irritated. "I'm not in the mood."

The fox turned his attention to the T.V. screen, watched a few lemmings commercials, and laughed. When the screen went back to the concert, he turned to me.

"So how's the good ole' ZPD academy treating ya? You surviving okay?" the fox began to fiddle with my blue cloak. "What's new with you besides the change of wardrobe?"

"Oh, nothing," I said clenching my head. "Everything's been great."

"Glad to hear." he signaled the ferret for a blueberry smoothie. "But I'd love to hear more. Tell me about your time at the academy."

I sighed. "Where do I start?"

He slurped his blue drink. "Pick anywhere you'd like."

I pondered for a minute. "To put it simply, nothing's been going well."

Nick wiped away the blue smoothie from his lips. "Why do you say that?"

I looked up at the night sky and exhaled. "I don't know, Nick. I'm trying my best but... I just don't belong here."

"Well, you are an alien, no offense." he reminded. "But why should that stop you?"

"It's difficult to get along with anyone here," I said with a despondent tone. "They don't trust me."

"Welcome to my world," he said casually. "Maybe a fox like me and a human like you share the same pain.

My head turned to Nick, questioning his statement. _"Do you?"_

"Yeah, you heard me right," he stated with confidence. "We both know what it's like to not be part of the pack. Trust me, I've been there too."

I glared him down. "And what about ejection from sports? Not being able to play any game of soccer? Failing quizzes and exams? Having _no friends_ at the academy?"

The fox rolled his eyes. "First off, you don't even like soccer, Carrots told me. Second, if you're struggling to find a friend, then why not start by being one?"

I shook my head. "I tried a few times. It doesn't work."

He shrugged, taking a sip from his smoothie. "Maybe you should try again, buddy."

My wearied head fell into my palms. "Why bother? They're already against me."

"Then you've got nothing to lose, my friend."

Upon hearing this, I silently scoffed at his optimism, tending to my ice water drink. The loud party music, the flashing lights, the fox, and tomorrow's test combined into one stressful headache. The water wasn't helping. Nothing was helping.

You just need a little time and patience." he added. "Hang in there."

I closed both my fists and exhaled. "What I really need is a good night's sleep. Haven't had one in a while," I stood up in place, preparing to leave. "Good seeing you Nick."

Before I could step away, one of the animal dancers from the floor approached us. It was a slender female coyote with a tank top and shorts. She stood about half my height and appeared different from other coyotes I've seen before. 

"Hey!" she greeted. "Would you like to dance?"

I tapped the fox's shoulder. "Nick, she's talking to you."

He shook his head and smirked. "No, she's talking to you, buddy."

As soon as he said that, my body froze. I looked at the female coyote, who gave me a warm, shy smile. Surely, she was mistaken.

I then shook my head. "Look... that's very kind of you but I don't-"

"I believe what my friend was _politely_ trying to say..." Nick interrupted. "...is that he'd love to accept your very kind offer to go dancing."

 _"Nick..."_ I hissed in a low whisper.

"Perfect!" the coyote cheered. "Let's go then!"

She held out her paw. I ignored it until Nick cleared his throat. _Why me?_ Reluctantly, I took her paw and she gently pulled me along.

Nick gave a sly wink before the coyote led me into the crowd of animal dancers. What was he thinking? Could my luck be that bad? _Darn, that fox._

She led me into the center of the dance floor where everyone was. Animals were on all sides but they were too busy jumping and twirling to the music to notice us.

The coyote turned to face me, grabbing my hands with her paws, "Are you ready?" she asked.

My body felt nervous. "I...I don't really dance."

She pulled herself closer, her vibrant brown eyes had a calming effect. "We'll do it together," she said as she started dancing. "Just go with the flow."

With each beat of the music, the coyote moved in sync, making it look so easy. Truly, she was a natural. No matter what, she stayed connected with me so I did my best to follow along. My movements were clunky yet she made them work and was quick to improvise.

I tried not to step on her toes, especially her fluffy tail, but she was quick on her feet. Dancing was never my thing, I was never really good at it. Hence, I struggled to enjoy it. However, this coyote made it much more fun than I ever remembered.

"See? You're doing great!" she smiled.

I cracked a smile. Though she couldn't see it, I had a feeling she could tell, which made her smile more.

For over thirty minutes, we danced to seven more songs. She knew all the lyrics too. This friendly coyote was filled with such youthful energy and kept dancing. She was also a great little motivator so I kept going too. Three songs later, I realized that my head pain had subsided.

Feeling a leg cramp, I slowed down, pretending to rub my forehead instead. "Is it hot in here or is it just me?"

"It's probably just you." she giggled. "But we can go outside if you'd like."

Since a few cadets were starting to take notice of me, I figured it best to leave. "Yeah, let's do that."

She led us through the animal crowd until we were finally outside. The sky was dark and a gentle breeze passed through the air. Dancing was a nice activity to revisit after so many years but getting some fresh air hit the spot.

Now it was time to call it a night.

Seeing that it was late, I turned to the coyote. "Thanks for the dance," I bowed my head. "I should probably get going."

She cheerfully clasped her paws together. "Don't you wanna go see the fireworks with me?"

"Fireworks?"

"Yep! They start in fifteen minutes, over by the south academy lawn."

I scratched my head. "Oh, um..."

"You should come with me!" she beckoned.

"I'm...I'm not sure..."

"Don't be shy," she smiled as she offered her paw. "It'll be fun, I promise."

I was going to retreat back to the dorms but I looked at the coyote one more time. Her amber eyes pierced my blue eyes in a way I couldn't describe. But one thing was certain. They gave me a small sense of trust.

Thus, I gently took her paw and we walked down the sidewalk together. I still couldn't believe she was doing this. There was something about her that made her different from the rest. I didn't know what to say or what to think.

As we strolled down the well-lit pathway towards a spacious green field, the coyote turned to me.

"I'm Charity, by the way!" she smiled. "What's your name?"

I almost forgot my own name. "Um...Cherry."

"Cherry? I like that name!"

"Thanks."

"That was sure fun dancing with you!" she said happily, her nose twitching. "You've got good moves!"

"You think so?"

"I know so!" she answered with sincerity. "Your style is unique and easy to work with. I like it!"

I gave her a head nod in response. I didn't really know what else to say.

"So are you a cadet?" she asked.

I nervously exhaled. "I am."

"Wow, that's awesome!" she beamed with excitement. "How long have you been here?"

"Less than a month." I estimated.

"Ooh, you're about a third of the way, aren't you?"

"Almost... I wish it was more."

"Don't worry, you'll do great!" she assured, taking a brief moment to reflect. "I sorta know because my sister's told me everything about you."

"Wait... your sister?" I pondered out loud, stopping in place, trying to make a connection. "You mean _Rebecca?"_

Charity smiled. "Yep! She's my twin sister."

That got me thinking. If she really heard everything, especially with what went down in the boxing ring, then wouldn't that make me less desirable to be around? Apparently, that didn't stop this sweet little coyote.

She playfully elbowed my side. "Small world, huh?"

"Yeah." I exhaled, still feeling somewhat ashamed about past events. "What'd she tell you?"

"She told me about the interrogation," the coyote answered. "And a little bit about the arena but she kept the rest between her and her boyfriend, Max."

 _Great, more gossip_ , I figured as much. I knew I couldn't trust that coyote from the ZIA.

We shared a moment of silence before she continued. "Even though I love and trust my sister... I had to find out more about you for myself. Do you wanna know what I think?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

Charity winked and smiled. "I think she missed out, big time."

Upon hearing this, my face felt like it was turning red. Regardless, I tried to shrug it off.

We continued walking together, approaching the grass field, where we spotted multitudinous groups of animals gathering for a firework display. Out in the far distance, in an enclosed dirt patch, there was a pyrotechnic team of raccoons making final preparations.

"This is gonna be so cool!" the coyote said excitedly, standing on her tiptoes in an effort to see over the wall of animals. "I wish I was as tall as you."

With all the elephants, rhinos, tigers, and other cadets eagerly gathering in front of us to see the show, I felt bad for mammals like Charity who were shorter in height. We could've pushed our way towards the front but the crowd was packed together. I feared getting into trouble with one of the cadets so I considered other options.

To the right, there was a tall, thick oak tree next to a two-story wooden shed. While I was looking at it, Charity also saw it. She then turned to me and smiled. Apparently, we both had the same idea.

We made our way over and began climbing. I let her go first, she climbed to the top, hardly needing any help. She was an excellent climber for being a little more than half my height. After pulling myself up from the last branch, I stepped onto the wooden roof to ensure it had the structural integrity to sustain me. Part of it was reinforced so it checked out.

I sat on the ledge, dangled my boots over, and the coyote sat adjacent to me. She dangled her legs over the ledge next to mine, enthusiastically waiting for the event to start, and being a happy camper. Now we definitely had an advantageous view over the entire green field. Everyone else in the massive crowd was down below. The only exception was a few giraffes at the opposite end of the field.

"Wow, this is wonderful!" she clapped. "You picked a great spot!"

I nodded proudly. "Indeed." 

She raised her paw for a high-four. I gently tapped it.

"I heard they're doing the big ones this year!" she pointed out into the field. "I can't wait!"

I couldn't help but quietly chuckle at her fluffy tail wagging bag and forth. She was definitely full of positive energy. A cadet unlike any other. At least, I thought she was.

"Are you also a cadet?" I wondered.

She shook her head. "I'm actually a part-time nurse working in exercise science!" 

I was a little disappointed. "Oh."

"But I'm getting additional training done here at the academy!" she explained. "They have a new program for it!"

"Today's your first day?"

"Yep! Very first day! I'm a little nervous but I'm ready."

Part of me wished I had her same level of optimism. Perhaps it'd wear off after a while, similar to what happened to me when I first came to the academy, but she sounded much more motivated than I ever was. I had a feeling things would work out for her.

Once the animal crowd got themselves settled on the grass lawn, one of the raccoons in the center field ignited a match to light the fuse. He backed away slowly, and triumphantly said, "Oh, yeah!"

A rocket suddenly shot up into the night sky, whistling through the crisp air. Within two seconds, the entire view lit up with an impressive display of bright blue colors. Other coruscating colors followed suit.

Some shot straight up before exploding, others whirled in a spiral, some shattered into thousands of sparks, while others tumbled and glittered in a silver shower. _Truly remarkable._

Over time, I saw magnificent colors that my eyes have never beheld. Colors that never existed in my world. _Absolutely magnificent._

They coiled around the trees, jetted across the field, spun around the air, whizzed above our heads, and flittered in all the empty spaces. _Completely breathtaking._

Charity was having a wonderful time and so was I. Words couldn't describe how thankful I was that she invited me. _  
_

The light emitted by the fireworks glittered, sparkled, twinkled, and glimmered the night sky. Thousands of extraordinary particles conquered the air, surely to make any onlooker feel infinite. 

As the firework display carried on for the next seventeen minutes, there were a few displays that brought back some memories. Most of which, I kept locked away for a while.

The red one reminded me of warfare back in my previous world. Though we never had fireworks or anything to celebrate, our dark skies were often lit up during times of interplanetary conflict. Ships the size of mountains were sliced by orbital space lasers, anti-matter bombs turned night into day, and bright orange embers filled our polluted air.

These dark thoughts began to haunt me again. My body tensed up as soon as the next red explosion sounded across the night sky.

Charity noticed something was off. But she didn't speak a word. 

Instead, she simply took my hand and held it with both her paws. I felt her furry head lean against my shoulder, causing me to feel an unexpected sense of peace. From there, Charity closed her eyes, smiled, and did nothing more.

_What was she doing?_ I questioned. How did that work? I had no idea. It was as if someone were telling me that everything was going to be alright. Charity was like a friend that I didn't deserve but she was definitely the one that I needed during these trying times at the academy.

At the conclusion of the firework session, the crowd of animal visitors and cadets gradually dispersed. Beaver crews were cleaning up the area, packing things up, and heading home for the night.

Meanwhile, Charity and I sat on the same roof beneath the stars, talking for over an hour. We were probably the only ones outside now.

We chatted about the academy, Zootopia, families, friends, favorite subjects, where we came from, and even our favorite music. She and I referenced artists and albums that we've never heard of before but that didn't matter. I managed to share one song from my helmet until it started glitching again. A Bob Marley song, which she absolutely loved. She kept trying to look it up on Zootube but it couldn't be found. That was rather fun to explain.

She herself had many songs to share from her phone. Unsurprisingly, her device didn't glitch. Her albums were unfamiliar, very Zootopian, but that didn't stop me from enjoying her company. Charity's voice was angelic, soft, and soothing. She sang many songs from her playlist. I could care less about the lyrics but listening to her was the best part.

For seven more minutes, we sat beneath the stars, admiring constellations and the city of Zootopia on the horizon. Seeing that it was getting late, I checked my HUD to realize that it was 12:07 PM.

"We should probably get going," I suggested, rolling my shoulders back to stretch them.

Charity continued to admire the scenery out in the distance. She then turned her head against my shoulder and smiled. 

I also looked out onto the night horizon and nodded. Indeed, it was spectacular.

We both stood up in place to stretch out our arms. _What a night._ Personally, I was feeling pretty tired but she seemed to be doing fine. My yawns were big whereas hers were small.

Standing on the edge of the two-story building, I jumped down onto the grass below, landing on both boots. I turned my head to see Charity standing on the ledge.

"Need help getting down?" I offered.

She shook her head and smiled. "Can you catch me?"

I splayed my gauntlets out with circumspection. "Um...sure."

"I'm trusting you," she said, getting into position.

At that moment, she took a graceful leap, making a perfect landing into my arms. "Nice catch!" she complimented. 

I gave her a slight nod, feeling grateful that I didn't drop her. That was a lot of faith to put into one alien, I had to admit.

We then began walking down the cement pathway together for over a minute as she guided me to where her dorm was. I realized that I was still carrying her in my arms so I set her down. She had two legs, she could walk

Charity's dorm was only fifteen minutes away from the main entrance of the academy. Not too far from where I was. We chatted about how lovely the night sky was until we finally reached the stone steps of her dorm.

"Well, this is it," she said, turning to face me. "Thanks for walking me to my place!"

"No problem," I bowed my head. "I hope you rest well tonight."

"Same to you!" she returned. "We should do this again sometime!"

"Yeah... for sure." I stuttered.

She pulled out her pink phone and passed it to me. "I'll definitely need your number!"

With hesitation, I held the phone in my palm. I tried to tap numbers but the screen couldn't sense my fingertips.

"Here, help me with this," I gave the phone back to her. "My paws are ceramic."

She giggled. "What's your number?"

"777-777-7777."

Her ear perked up and she gave me a silly head tilt.

"Yeah, I know," I admitted. "Just go with it."

She tapped the numbers away without questioning. "Alright Cherry, I'm texting you my number... just in case," she winked. "You should be getting it...right about...now!"

My helmet vibrated, I gave her a thumbs up. "Got it."

She happily put her phone away. "We'll stay in touch."

"Yeah, sure." I waved, slowly walking away. "Good night, Charity."

"Hey," she called.

I stopped in place.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she smiled.

I turned around. "What do you mean?"

She held her arms out and motioned me to come.

"Oh...right," I remembered.

I shyly walked up to her and took a knee. She wrapped her arms around my head and pulled me into a warm embrace. I didn't know what to say or what to do other than return the gesture.

"Good night, Cherry!" she said sweetly.

We hugged for seven seconds, shattering any previous record I've ever had. I used to have a record for the shortest hugs but that was no more.

Finally, I let her go. Someone had to end the hug. She ran up the stairs, smiled, and gave a friendly wave before disappearing through the door. Now it was just me outside.

As I began the short journey back to my dorms, I couldn't help but reflect upon how kind that coyote was. Truly, she was phenomenal and had such a tender spirit. I hoped to see her again.

_Without a doubt, that was one of the best nights I've had in a long while._

I almost lost hope, thought about quitting the police academy, but she changed my mind. Now I had a friend here that was only a short distance away.

Tomorrow was another test, there was much to study, but that didn't worry me anymore. Because I was going to ace it.


End file.
